Hello! This story's based off of an idea that I've had stuck in my head for a while. It's a tester, so please review and tell me your thoughs and ideas? :)

The first chapter's not the best, but the story will get better once I get things settled. :)

I don' t own Lord of the Rings.


(Valerie's Point of View)

"I want the window seat!" Skylar pushed past me and fell upon her desired chair. "Mine!"

Naomi tossed her oversized bag underneath her seat and plopped down, music blasting from her headphones. I swear, that woman's gonna be deaf by the time she reaches thirty.

"Brandonnn!" She called out for her terd of a cousin. "Brandon, you fat lard, hurry up! You're blocking the aisle!"

The usually macho man slowly made his way down the aisle, clutching his carry on bag to his chest. That man could eat two large pizzas by himself, drive a go-cart around like a maniac, and win fistfights against guys twice his size; but the second you get him on an airplane, he chickens out.

"Awhhh. Come on Brandy-poo. You're more likely to get your brains eaten by a zombie than to die in one of these babies." Skylar gave the wall of the plane a loving pat. Her daddy was a pilot, her granddaddy fought as a fighter pilot in WWII, and her family owns tons of mini airplanes. So, she practically grew up in the air. Hence, why her parents named her 'Sky'lar. She even had bright blue eyes to match the sky.

Brandon glared at our pretty friend. "I'm not scared." Even though he looked like he was about to pee himself.

"How old are we, ten? Get moving!" A cranky old man yelled angrily from his place behind Brandon.

Brandon huffed and took his spot next to Naomi, in their window seat. "I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this..."

"Talk you into this?" I laughed. "You were all for it when we brought up the topic of pretty French women."

For whatever reason, the girls and I decided that it'd be fun to go to France one day. We got tickets for the first flight out, and made sure to bring Brandon along. What would he do without us, anyways? All his guy friends do is drink and party. We're friends of quality; we go an sporadic vacations all the way across the globe.

"Don't worry, Brandon." Skylar smiled at our friend from over her airplane catalogue. "Just sit down and relax. It'll all be over before you know it."

Unfortunately, it all was over far sooner than we would have liked.

Nearly right off the bat, we ran into a storm that rattled and shook the plane around like a rag doll.

"Ladies and Gentlemen..." The pilot's voice came over the intercom. "We're experiencing some... Technical difficulties. Please remain seated and do not panic."

"Seriously?" Naomi was clinging onto her armrests, looking like she was about to rip someone's head off. "I didn't pay good money for technical difficulties! I wanna see Paris!"

Brandon slammed his window shut as a bolt of lightning lit up the plain. "How is this safe?"

Skylar was cuddled up in a blanket, sleeping. SLEEPING. During the worst turbulence imaginable. Honestly, nothing scared her. Roller coasters had no effect on her; she was used to the tossy-tumbly feeling you get in your stomach, because her brother was an aerobatic pilot and took her out on crazy joy rides all of the time.

Naomi, the painfully honest, music-obsesssed, 'most likely to quote a movie' red head was now holding the hand of her jerk cousin Brandon. Brandon was really a softie, he just didn't know how to express himself. He looked like he was about to cry; his number one fear was heights. His only fear was heights, really.

I took another look at Skylar as the plane jerked once again, looking for some kind of comfort, but she was still snoozing away.

Dangit.

Thunder crashed. Lightning struck. The plane went dark.

"Val?" Naomi's voice was silent, and I could barely hear her over the cries of panic emitting from the other people on the plane.

A stewardess went running down the aisle and we watched her as she quickly buckled herself into a seat and curled into a safety position. My friends and I looked at each other with tear-filled eyes.

"This is the end..." Brandon sighed, looking forward with wide, unbelieving eyes.

Naomi closed her eyes and allowed her tears to silently fall. It was so unreal. This wasn't supposed to happen... Bad things only happen to bad people... We weren't bad, we didn't deserve it.

But it was happening, whether we deserved it or not.

I searched for tears that I couldn't find, I tried to feel sad, but I didn't. It didn't feel like the end...

"Should we wake her?" Naomi asked as the plane's glide began to hit turbulence, and we began to fall at dangerous speeds.

"No..." I looked at Skylar, who was sleeping with a small smile on her face. "No... Let her die in peace..."

Brandon heaved a deep sigh and bent his head to hide his tears. Naomi reaced out over the aisle and took my hand in hers. With a tight squeeze on my hand, she spoke her final words. "Meet me on the other side?"

I took a deep breath as we neared the ground. "You bet."

Naomi smiled. Amidst the screaming and yelling of the other passengers, we found our peace.

We were ready.

.

..

.

There was no pain. My life did not flash before my eyes, and Naomi's hand was no longer in my own. But I wasn't alone.

A bright sun shone through my eyelids, and I slowly opened them. The light blinded me at first, but I soon began to make out figures in my line of sight. With one hand, I shielded myself from the sun's rays and tried to clear my vision.

Suddenly, the light left; it was not the sun, after all. Everything became clear, and I found myself lying on a cold, stone floor, with a tall stone ceiling above.

Two women and two men stood over me, watching me with a mix of curiosity and concern. They were dressed in strange clothing, and their hair was long and dark, except for an elderly man dressed in grey robes. They looked nice, but they weren't exactly the angels I was expecting.

The youngest of them all, a girl that looked to be about my age, bent down and handed me a goblet full of water. I drank it without much thought; these people looked just as confused as I was.

"Thank you..." I handed the woman the now empty goblet and looked around curiously. The room was filled with stuff that looked like it belonged to some Middle-Age noble. A big tapestry of a white tree adorned one wall, and I noticed that the tree could also be found in other items all around, including the younger man's tunic. "Uhh... Where am I?"

The elderly man offered me a hand and helped me up. "You are in Gondor, young one. What is your name?"

"Valerie." I dusted off my pants and subtly pinched myself. Yepp. I'm alive. Unfortunately, I've got no idea what Gondor is. "Where is Gondor?"

All four of my new acquaintances looked at each other, before the man turned back to me with a quizical look. "Do you not know of Gondor, Miss Valerie?" I shook my head, and he nodded. "I didn't think so... Please," He gestured towards a chair. "Sit down. If what these people have told me is true, then I believe that you're going to be a bit taken aback by what I have to tell you."

That's not the kind of thing you want to hear when you're supposed to be dead. What could be worse?


(Naomi)

I have to say, I'm a little peeved.

I prepared myself for the end; I went through the emotional stress of looking death right in the face. And now, I'm alive? Alive in this barren wasteland.

Well, that's a little harsh. It's not barren. It's actually pretty grassy. Still, it's all poop.

Was I in hell?

Oh well. It sucked, regardless.

I had been walking for at least an hour, and my stomach was growling up a storm. But what could I eat? The grass?

I looked down at the ocean of grass that flowed over my legs. Well... I was kind of starving. Just imagine that they're super-sized french fries... Really thin, overcooked french fries... Prairie dogs can do it! So can I!

My stomach was grumbling so loud, I couldn't even pay any attention to the pounding of hooves coming my way. With a deep breath, I swiped up a handfull of the dried grass and shoved it into my mouth. It was dirty, dusty (if that's even possible), dry, and poopy. But hey, it was better than starving! I munched on handfulls of grass until a sudden movement from behind me caught my attention.

I swung around, grass hanging from my mouth, to face a giant army of cavalry.

How'd they get there?

Their spears were relaxed, so I knew that they weren't going to kill me. I'm actually surprised that they didn't say something at first; those guys looked intimidating. Perhaps it was the image of a twenty-one year old woman wandering around alone in the middle of nowhere, munching on grass, that kept them quiet. They were probably in shock.

Quickly, I swallowed the last strands of grass and waved at the mountainous men.

"Hello!" Share the love! Don't be mean to the guys with spears!

They just continued to stare at me wordlessly. I shifted nervously from foot to foot, unsure as to what to do.

"So..." I began, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "What brings you out here?"

More silence. Maybe they were deaf?

"Are you lost?" The guy with the coolest helmet, who I took to be their leader, finally spoke after what felt like an eternity.

Crap, they're on to me. "What makes you think that?"

I couldn't see his face underneath all that helmet, but he must have been completely confused.

"Well..." He began, hesitantly. "Your clothes are not of Middle Earth, and you were wandering around alone eating grass... It's not safe out here. Orcs are roaming these lands freely. Tell me, where are you from?"

"The U.S. of A." I shrugged. Even medieval cowboys have got to know about America. It was kind of a big deal, back in the 16th century. Even though it wasn't the USA back then... Oh well, he'll get the point.

"Ah..." He nodded, and looked around at his men for information. They all shrugged, and he turned back to me. "And where is this... Youesovay?" He blurred in 'U.S. of A' into one word.

Okay. So maybe he has no idea what I'm talking about. They haven't killed me, yet. I think that I'm gonna be alright.

"Okay, I'm lost." I admitted. I'd be screwed if these guys left me out here, alone. "Can you take me to the nearest city?" I'll get information on my whereabouts, there. There's no way that I'm on Earth, anymore.

The captain moved his horse forward slightly, and he held a hand out for me. "I would be happy to help you find your way home. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Naomi!" I smiled proudly when I managed to climb up onto his horse, behind him.

"That's an odd name... But lovely, all the same. I am Prince Theodred, of Rohan."

Humph. Prince or not, his name is worse than mine.


.

(Skylar)

I love naps.

I was nice, warm, and comfy, cuddled up with my blanket on solid ground. It wasn't where I fell asleep, on the plane, but hey. I'm not complaining. My nap was simply marvelous!

With a yawn, I opened my eyes to a rather unhappy sight.

A man (handsome, but smelly) was sleeping right in front of my face, snoring softly.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Well, I did what any normal person would do in that situation.

I screamed.

Right in his eardrum.

"HELP!" I shot up and fell right back down, tangled up in my blanket. The man sprung up, weilding a big, scary sword, ready to attack. His gaze fell onto me and he lowered his weapon.

"Milady?" He tried to help me get free from my monster blanket, but I kicked him away. "Milady, stop thrashing about!"

"Help! I've been kidnapped by a Renaissance sex trafficker and he's gonna sell me for marijuana!"

The man took a step back, shock written all over his face. "Milady, are you mad?"

"I'm not your lady!" Finally, I managed to get out of my blanket and I stood to run away.

Of course, the scary drug dealer grabbed my wrist, bringing me to a stop.

"Who are you, what are you doing in my camp?" He asked, rather sternly.

I tried to wriggle free of his grasp, but the man's strong. "Get off of me, you perv! Help!"

"Be quiet!" He whisper-yelled. "Do you want to attract the attention of every orc in Middle-earth?"

"You're crazy! Let me go!"

"Milady!"

I tried to kick him, but he dodged my blow. "I am not your lady! You are the worst pimp daddy I've ever seen!"

The man's patience had reached its limit. In the blink of an eye, he pushed on my pressure point and knocked me out cold.

.

.

When I finally awoke, it was daylight. My hands were tied together, and I was covered in my blanket, and I was laying on some sort of sleeping mat. A cloak was bunched up underneath my head as a pillow, and if it wasn't for the fact that my hands were bound, I'd be pretty comfy.

My eyes searched the small clearing and landed on the man from the night before. He was smoking an old-fashioned pipe, as he poked at some sort of dead animal that he had placed above the fire to cook. I noticed that he wasn't wearing a cloak, and realized that his cloak was now being used as my pillow.

"This cloak of yours makes a nice pillow." I commented, deciding to take a more friendly approach today. I had come to the conclusion that something crazy had happened, and this was no longer my world. At least, I hoped it wasn't After all, who says 'milady' anymore? As for this man, he definately wasn't a pimp-daddy. Or a drug dealer.

Well, he might be a drug dealer. I don't know what he's smoking in that pipe!

He looked over to me at the sound of my voice. "It is a very good pillow." All was silent for a short moment. "Are you going to kick and scream, again?" The man asked.

"Are you going to kill me?" That's the only thing I really cared about.

The man turned back to the fire and poked at the roasting animal with a stick. "Of course not."

Woo! "Then we're good! Hi, I'm Skylar."

I could see a small smile cross the man's face. "It's nice to meet you, Skylar."

Awkward silence. "Well, aren't you gonna tell me your name?" I asked after a while.

He seemed to consider this for a moment. "You may call me Strider."

"But that's not your real name?"

Strider shrugged. "Technically, no."

I frowned. "I don't like Strider. It's not a very happy name."

"You may call me Thorongil, then."

"Ew, that's even worse."

Strider-Thorongil furrowed his eyebrows. "Estel?"

I wrinkled my nose. "That's a girl's name!" Strider looked like he wanted to protest, but he remained silent. Suddenly, a great idea popped into my head. "You look like a William."

That got his attention. "William?"

I smiled. "Yepp! That's your new name! It's payback for knocking me out, last night."

Willy thought this over for a second, an unhappy look on his face. Finally, he sighed in defeat.

"Fair enough."

"Yayyyy!" I cheered. Then, the silence came back. Well. This sucks.

"Hey, William? Can you untie me, now?"


*Author's Note*

Question: What pairings would please you? :) Let me know!

I don't know what I'm gonna do with Brandon. I'm thinking about killing him off. Anyways. Ideas!