First of all, I own nothing of The Hobbit, or The Lord of the Rings, and I simply hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I was always told I was special. Not special as all mother's thought their children, but truly and utterly special -or my bloodline was at least. I came from a long line of special women, for as legend stated; we were destined to travel through time and space searching for the one who will complete us, our soul mate or One True as we called it. The only thing about that was it was not every child, it was only the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter, only she would be taken from her family to meet her fate. She would save her One True from himself -for each of them required some sort of saving- and they would live their happy ever after. At least that was what we were told, once we leave, we only know what the book tells us.
I knew the stories, had held the book, memorized the ballad, and was currently wearing the ring, but I wasn't sure I wanted to face my destiny. I loved my mother, who had traveled here to save my father, and I loved my younger siblings, who would grow old and gray here, in the only place they would ever know. They would grow old and have children of their own and they would never see me again. It frightened me, but I had no choice. There was no running, escaping, or returning, and no one would ever know what would become of me. I was to face this alone, with only the relics that each girl took with her and the clothes on my back.
My mother walked forward, long black hair flowing behind her like a cape. Her full lips pulled into a secretive smile and she pulled from behind her a white, clothbound book. "My dearest Caitriona," she breathed, her voice strong with that indescribable accent that contorted her tongue and made words difficult at times. She never told stories of where she herself hailed from, but most days it was obvious she was not of this world. Some days it was obvious that I was not meant for this one. "Today, when the clock strikes eight, your birth hour, you will find yourself. To guide you, as it has so many before you, the Tome of Ennio passes from me to you. The ring, given to the First Mother by her One True, has already been placed into your hands, and now, may the blessings of all the Ennio be with you." She handed me the weighty book and kissed my brow, squeezing my shoulders in a reassuring manner.
I squared my shoulders and gazed at all of my family, gathered before me to watch me depart. We had already said goodbye but some of my younger siblings still didn't understand that this was forever. I was never coming back. "Thank you Mother, but I've told you before to call me Cait." She smiled, the long running joke comforting my jittery nerves. "When I get to wherever it is I am meant to go, I shall look for your name among the pages."
The bell chimed on the grandfather clock in the study and I took a deep breath, this was it. My mother smiled with a knowledge that I envied and my father looked as proud as I had ever seen him, my siblings waved frantically, desperate to be seen. I waved back and smiled for them, trying not to show the fear I felt in my heart. Nineteen is much too young to face a destiny, let alone to change another. I took a deep breath and received comfort in the knowledge that the process wasn't painful, not for Mother anyway. I gripped my violin case and held it close to me.
Black spots appeared in my vision, tiny at first but growing larger and more frequent. The light filtering in from the windows suddenly became too bright and the quiet breathing of my family too loud. I locked eyes with Mother and let a single tear trail down my cheek, splashing on the hardwood floor. Suddenly, there was nothing and I left nothing, save for the single tear that fell and stayed behind.
I woke. That was it, there was nothing around me. I knew I was awake but I couldn't see anything, smell anything, or even taste anything. I reached around me in a panic but I could feel nothing, not the air whizzing through my fingers as I flailed around or a slight breeze to ruffle my hair. I panicked and I felt the world closing down on me as I gasped for non-existent air. I felt suspended and trapped, like I was in empty space and crushed between boulders all at once. My bones began to buzz, feeling as though they were vibrating within my body. I felt like I was being pulled inward and I let a silent scream of pain. My mind began to be filled with pain and I knew something must be wrong, it was not supposed to hurt. I could feel myself slipping and I tried to hold onto my consciousness as long as I could. I struggled and writhed and my chest heaved but there was nothing. My eyes grew heavy and I did the only thing that could give me strength, I sang. It made no sound, but even just the feeling of my mouth shaping the words comforted me in a great many ways.
I sang the Ballad of Ennio over and over again until the pain faded. Through it I felt the strength of all of my forebears and knew that this simple pain could do nothing to me, I could do this. The pain faded and the pitch nothingness turned into a deep purple and it no longer seemed so terribly dark. Soft sounds began to filter through my ears and I suddenly felt cold. A yummy smell that reminded me of home cooking reached me and I struggled to get up. I noticed what felt like a sturdy fabric beneath me and I flexed my grip around it and worked towards more movement. I wiggled my toes and wrinkled my nose, lifting a hand and smiling in triumph.
Hushed voices eventually reached me and I tilted my head in confusion, why was there more than one? How would I know which is the one when there are more than one. I bolted upright and glanced around me. There was no one in my immediate vicinity and as I looked around I noticed it was a very homey place. I was laying upon a small bed with a patchwork quilt beneath me. Soft moonlight illuminated the room around me and I could barely make out the room's details. I looked down and saw the traditional white gown that Mother said every girl before me wore, but my slippers were gone. With a panic I noticed the fact that my book was gone as well, along with my violin, but my ring was still on my finger. I swung my legs over the bed and allowed my toes to just barely touch the cold, hardwood floor. I paused and tried to listen to the voices but I couldn't make out anything, so I decided to move closer. Through the door I could still hear nothing and so I pushed the wooden door open, flinching at the slight squeal of protest it gave.
The voices did not falter and the closer I got the less I could make out. Light came from another room and shined into the hallway, shadows of people blocked it some but I could get no details from their silhouette. I crept closer to the room and I thought they were speaking another language. My gut clenched in nerves and I worried that there would be a language barrier, but Mother never had one, she said that Father spoke another language but she could understand it, despite never having heard it before. I remembered hearing her sing in her native tongue, but I never understood it myself.
I hid behind a strange circular archway and peeked into the room, my eyes darting to each and every one of the men in the room. And they were all men. They were big and burly and hairy and I was immediately intimidated. There were a few that looked younger and less frightening, and there was one with curly fair hair -wearing a quilted robe of all seemed to be arguing but I needed to find my things. My ring was on my finger but my violin was gone and so was my book. It was not next to me in the room and I did not pass it on my way here, so one of these men must have it.
I gathered my courage and was about to walk in when I saw a tall man. He was large yet thin, and towered above everyone. He had a long gray robe on and a pointy gray hat, he even had a long gray beard. He rose above his peers and stated something in a commanding tone, and to me it seemed as if darkness rose with him. It flickered behind him and the others quieted, before they again began speaking in low tones. I gripped my hands into fists and steeled myself, stepping into the doorway.
No one noticed me at first and I faltered. I took in a deep breath and choked a little, covering my mouth to stifle the cough. Every head in the room turned to stare at me and immediately my cheeks burned in embarrassment. My innards twisted and I swore my heart started to beat faster.
"Um," I started, pausing and trying to collect my thoughts. "Hello." They all stared at me, almost unblinking until the one at the front, nearest to me, said something. It sounded like a question and I scrambled to respond. "I'm sorry, I don't understand..." I trailed off and I could feel my breathing coming fasting in panic. "B-Book, do you have it? Do you have m-my book?" I asked. A few spoke between themselves and I spotted a book on a shelf near me. I grabbed it and showed it to them and pointed to it. "A book? Like this?" I pointed between the book and myself almost desperately. A look of realization dawned on them and they conversed loudly while I put the book away.
The tall man stood up and approached me, reaching into his robes. I shrunk back warily and waited, unsure of his motives. He pulled a book from the layers of his gray robe and held it out with a wrinkled hand. My own shook as I reached forward and took it from him, trying to give him a small smile but it probably came out more of a grimace. "T-Thanks Mister." I hugged the book tightly to my chest and backed out of the room slowly. They watched but no one got up, and as soon as I was out of arms reach, I bolted.
I ran down the hallway and ended up as far as I could get and still be enveloped in soft candlelight. I sat down on a soft looking chair and curled upon myself, trying to calm my ragged breathing. I panicked, oh God did I panic. Something must be wrong, there has to be a mistake somewhere. It wasn't supposed to hurt and I'm supposed to understand the language. I let the book dig into my ribs and I clung to it like a lifeline, hardly daring to lessen my hold. I ran through the song in my mind and reminded myself that there could not be a mistake, there never has been before and there never will be. Maybe I'm just with the wrong people, yes, that must be it. I'll find my One True and I'll know what he says and he'll be wonderful like I always dreamed.
Once I calmed enough I looked down at the book. With Mother it was a soft off-white color that was bound in wood and wrapped in soft cloth. The pages were pristine and gold edged, the letters a bold black with a swirling grace that gave the book a feminine feel. For me, the book looked like an old, leather bound tome with animal skin pages and messy, quill pen handwriting, for it looked handwritten. I ran my fingers over the cover and took note of all the bumps and imperfections, forcing it into my memory. I took a deep breath and spoke to it, thinking of my mother. "Show me my family history, reveal to me what happened to my loved ones." I flipped it open to a random page and felt a sob rip its way from my throat. According to this my siblings lived long into adulthood and all had children of their own, but fifteen years after I left, both of my parents died in a car accident. It stated they died on impact, and that they were buried in the cemetery behind the small church in my hometown. My brother died of old age, and my sisters both lost their lives to disease. I knew that I would never see them again, but it still felt like my heart was ripped from my chest as I read. Eventually I closed the book and held it close once again.
Someone cleared their throat near me and I jumped, wiping my eyes quickly and staring wide eyed at the tall man. He stood in the doorway and gazed down at me, his eyes soft and he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry my dear." His mouth opened and closed and sound came out but I could not understand what he was saying. I continued to watch him and I accepted the small form of comfort. I noticed the rest behind him and I clung even tighter to my book.
"I don't understand you, I probably never will. Just point me in the direction of my destiny, if you can." No one replied and I sighed. I opened the book and spoke to it instead. "What language should I speak?" The rough scrawl appeared on the page and I read carefully. It said to focus on my One True and I would know their native tongue, but I didn't know who that was. All it told me was things I already knew. I shut it and lowered my head, unable to look at the strangers surrounding me. A few spoke and I shut them out.
"What's she sayin'?"
"Why's she lookin' down? Are those tears?'
"What'dda we do with 'er?"
"Look what you two did! Ya don't play with a wizard's staff!"
"Look, we said we're sorry already!"
"Poor girl."
Suddenly someone said something that actually made sense. "Wha's with the book?"
My head shot up and I seemed to have startled them. I searched each of them but I couldn't figure out where those words came from. I focused on the harsh sounds that somehow made sense and they flowed through me like a stream of water. "I can understand you!" I cheered, standing up. "I knew it wasn't a mistake!"
"She speaks Khuzdul?"
"How?"
They broke into a roar of what sounded like questions and my spirits dropped again. I hugged my book tighter and waited, unsure. "Excuse me?" I tried quietly, but I was shouted over by those around me. "Um," I tried again. "Can you tell me where I am?"
This seemed to catch their attention and they turned back to me. The one at the front of the table from before spoke to me now. "Girl, what are you called?"
I stood proud and puffed my chest out, staring him straight in the eyes. "I am Caitriona Ennio, eldest daughter of the eldest daughter, here to find my One True and change fate," I stated with all of my pride. When they seemed unaffected I deflated a little. "But you can call me Cait, I guess."
"And where do you hail from, Caitriona Ennio," it was less of a question and more of an order to answer. I felt the rest of my bravado fade out at his haughty tone. My gaze dropped to the floor for a moment before I gathered the courage again to look him in the eye.
"I come from a far away land, it doesn't matter exactly where, I can never go back," I muttered to myself. Though it was quiet they all heard and the silence that followed was tense.
A man that looked a bit older than me spoke up, his blonde curls bouncing as he looked around at everyone. "What's she saying?"
He was ignored and the dark haired man with his stocky build and his holier-than-thou attitude addressed me again. "The fault may lie with us, Lady Ennio, as it were my nephews who took the wizard's staff and brought you here. I am Thorin Oakenshield, and this is my company." I carefully registered his words and nodded slowly. He thought they brought me here, not that I was meant to come anyway. He also said wizard, but I ignored that portion for the moment.
"Sir Oakenshield, it was not you or your family who brought me here," I spoke slowly, as if talking to a child. It was hard for most to understand my family, Father completely disbelieved Mother when he first heard. "I am the eldest daughter of an eldest daughter in the Ennio line, I would have appeared here whether or not your boys played with a magical staff. Though it would be helpful to know where I am."
"Middle Earth," a voice in the back piped up. My head tipped to the side and I searched my mind. I flipped through the book and found a map, and it was not on any Earth I remembered.
"Middle Earth," I repeated, finally looking around the room with curiosity and not fear or confusion. Candles and wooden furniture and furs were everywhere, cloaks hung on the wall and there was no sign of plastic or polyester anywhere. "Like the Middle Ages?" I looked at the tall man with the pointy hat and my head tipped to the other side, I reached a hand and pointed at him, "Wizard?" Everyone nodded, well, except for the curly haired fellow and the tall man, I assumed they couldn't understand me. "Do the rest of you have names?" I smiled, I had found I do understand them and that I do belong here, it was now just a matter of finding him.
Pleas, please, PLEASE review, you will make me the happiest person alive if you do!