A/N: Hi, I'm glad you found my story, and I hope you find it enjoyable. I would like to thank my beta TheFuzzyKiwiFruit, who is an excellent author, and has gone above and beyond for me with this story since last summer. I would also like to thank God for giving me my passion for reading and writing. Constructive criticism is very welcome. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own Lord Of The Rings, or any part of it.
"I still can't believe you're leaving me all alone," I whined to Kate as I packed to sleep over at her house before seeing her off tomorrow.
Kate had been my best friend since we were children, but now she was cruelly abandoning me to go live with monkeys on a reservation in India.
On the other hand, maybe I'm being a teensy bit unfair; this is an amazing opportunity for her, and I should be happy for her, and I am, but I don't want to be left alone.
I feel like a horrible person who doesn't want her best friend to have the time of her life.
"Summer," Kate said while rubbing my shoulder as I crammed my pajamas into my backpack, "I'm only signed up for a year."
"So far!" I cut in, probably sounding like a whiny prick.
Kate had wanted to be a veterinarian her whole life, and this was her chance to do what she loves.
I sigh dejectedly and shifted my gaze to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry, Kate. I know that you've looked forward to this for years, and you don't deserve to be held back, but I don't want to be stuck here by myself, considering you're practically my only friend."
"Do you think I'm not scared too? I'm going to a foreign country alone. There are diseases, criminals, crazed monkey lovers, and more. Not to mention I am leaving my co-dependent best friend at home. She will probably spiral into some kind of funk, completely lost without me," she teased.
"Well, if you're having second thoughts..." I jested back, ignoring her mock.
"What's that?" She asked, as she noticed me slipping a CD with a letter taped to it, futilely covered by a pair of jeans, into my backpack.
"My jeans. You know, the ones you borrowed and didn't give back for two months," I lectured, trying to direct the conversation away from the object I had hidden in my folded pants.
The CD was a collection of songs, some of her favorites, some of my favorites, and some that were either inside jokes or memories we shared. I picked, played, and sung all of them. The quality isn't much but I did my best with the microphone in my laptop. I had to brush up on my piano skills since my focus for the last couple of years has been guitar.
Well, guitar and learning Elvish. My teachers don't understand how I can give so much attention to Elvish, a fictional language, while I skim along in English class. Kate tells me that it is pointless because I will never use it, but she isn't as interested in it as I am. Also, her mind would go fuzzy whenever it is shown in the movies because of her giant crush on any and all male elves.
Anyhow, the letter and CD were her going away present from me that I was going to give her at the airport when she leaves for India tomorrow.
"I wasn't talking about the pants, Summer," Kate replied, not taking my bait to change the subject.
"It isn't important right now," I assured her, hoping she wouldn't pry further.
"Come on! Tell me," she begged.
"I think I'm ready to go," I said, grabbing my bag and my guitar case, as I stood up, ignoring her request.
We hopped down the stairs, and I hollered to my brothers that I was leaving.
My dad was at work, and my mom didn't live with us anymore. She moved out four years ago to live in California with her boyfriend, so all that's left was me, my dad, and my four older brothers. They were Alex, Sam, Andrew, and Luke. Alex is twenty, and going to community college. Sam is eighteen, as of three weeks ago, with all of the arrogance that came with it. Andrew is sixteen, and almost wrecked our car when dad was teaching him to drive over the weekend. Luke is my senior by twenty minutes, and will never let me forget. But I'm an inch taller, so that helps the matter just a little bit. If I ever bring a boy home, he will need serious therapy afterward. That is, if he lives.
Luke raced into the room as Kate and I threw on our coats. He had had a huge crush on Kate ever since he met her when he was three years old. Kate was five, but she is only a year and a half older than us, so our friendship isn't that weird. We are weird, but she's only been weird a year and a half longer than me.
I'm sure Luke had something totally smooth planned to say to my best friend but once he actually stood in front of her, he just froze there like a deer in the headlights.
"Summer, we really have to get going. My mom expects us at four," Kate said, trying to avoid an awkward situation with my brother.
"Okay," was all he managed to squeak out before Kate and I left.
"That was awkward," Kate said, as we walked out the door, the frosty air smacking us as we went on our way. It's April, but this was Alaska so it's still kind of nippy.
"So," I started, "I want your coat when you leave since you won't need it. It's hot thousands of miles away in India."
"You can come visit me sometime."
I snorted sarcastically, "Sure, my dad would let me go to India by myself."
"You could ask one of your brothers to come with you, then," Kate suggested. "I'm sure one of them wouldn't mind an excuse to go on vacation."
"And on top of that, animals hate me."
"We'll have tranquilizers if one gets too violent. Or if you get too violent," Kate said with a smirk.
We rounded a corner, and started to cross a road that was slippery because of ice. I had gotten almost halfway across when I realized that Kate was hesitating at the edge of the street, unsure of whether she would be able to make it without taking a painful fall on the frozen ground.
I waved a gloved hand at her reassuringly, "Come on, Kate. It's fine. We're already late, so we have to hurry."
She still shifted uncomfortably. "I-I'm not sure about this, Summer. This ice looks really dangerous. There's probably a safer place to cross further this way." She began to advance more down the side of the road.
Letting out a small puff of annoyance that could be seen in the freezing air, I started making my way back to the side of the street. Kate was probably right.
Suddenly, I heard Kate let out a shrill scream.
I turned in her direction, looking further up the lane, and see a pair of headlights coming at me, the breaks of the car useless on the thick sheet of frozen water covering the road.
Frantic honks of the car horn and more shouting accompanied Kate's panicked warning, but the sound of my own fear drowned it all out as the vehicle sped toward me. I tried to sprint to the protection of the side of the road but instantly slipped on the ice and fell to my knees painfully. I sat there paralyzed, waiting for the car to inevitably hit me. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the impact.
I waited. Then, I waited a little longer. Then, I wondered if this was what people meant when they say that time slows down and everything moves in slow motion right before you die. So I kept waiting.
…
…What the heck is going on? I had been sitting here for such a long time that my fear had all but left me, and the adrenaline that had coursed through my body before was starting to a little effort, I forced my eyes open, unsure of what I'd find.
A canopy of leaves spread above my head; the scent of fresh flowers and warm spring air wafted all around me. Voices, faint but clear and strong, brought to the air melodies incomparable to anything I'd ever heard. I couldn't make out the words, but I just let the sweet tune wash over me, overwhelming every fiber of my being.
"My Lady," a somewhat annoyed sounding voice called out to me, breaking my trance. I turned to see a man—at least, I think he's a man— who looked as if he had been standing behind me longer than I had realized. He was tall, but thin, with long brown hair and gray eyes.
"Sorry," I managed out, still pulling my mind to the surface, wondering how long I had been sitting there. "It's just that I've never heard music that beautiful."
"Flattery? Aren't you a clever one?" he said with a smirk, "I suppose, however, that your apology will have to suffice. Are you traveling alone?"
It finally struck me. How the heck did I forget being almost hit by a car? Summer, I told myself, relax. Try to assess the situation.
I didn't feel like I was hit by a car, and I don't look hurt. I seem to be in some kind of forest. But I don't even live near a forest! I am talking to a strange man who looks armed. Why the heck is he dressed like that? What happened? Am I alive? Is this Heaven?
My breathing quickened, and I felt a little dizzy. I scrambled up from the grassy earth, took a step back from the man, and reached out my hand to a tree to stabilize myself.
"Are you alright?" the man asked concern drawing itself onto his face.
"Who are you?" I stuttered. My entire body was tense, and hopefully it was well enough to defend itself if the man should be dangerous.
"I have no desire to harm you. I am Elrohir of Imladris, son of Lord Elrond."
... Come again?
At first I felt my face instantly fall from a determined expression to a blank one, and I didn't respond for a few seconds. Then, I abruptly doubled over to the forest floor, roaring with laughter. My lungs thirsted for air that I couldn't give it. It was like I had a plastic bag over my face. My rib cage was wracked with painful spasms every single breath. It was so intense I couldn't move on my own accord. I almost wet my pants as the laughter overcame me. The hurricane shook my whole body mercilessly as I gasped uncontrollably.
I tried desperately to slow my breathing after remembering I wasn't alone, but I still fumbled through every couple breaths. The man looked down at me confused, almost as if he wasn't sure if he should be insulted or amused.
"From the books?" I asked him, wiping a few tears that had formed from the powerful laughter.
"Oh, so people are writing books about me now?" he beamed back, seeming to recover the wound to his pride he took by my amusement.
Maybe he was cosplayer or something and didn't want to break character. Good for him. But if, by chance, he is insane, I certainly don't want to aggravate him.
"Where am I?" I questioned, bringing the situation at hand back to the surface.
"We stand along the borders of Rivendell."
Maybe I did get hit by the car but was graciously spared a painful death. Maybe this is Heaven, I thought, or I could be in a coma or something and this is all a dream.
"Are you aware of how you came to be here?" he inquired, breaking my thought.
"No," was all my answer consisted of.
"Come with me, we shall see what my father thinks of this situation, and wait to see if you recover your memory."
Every part of me screamed that this was a bad idea, following a strange, crazy guy, one who was claiming to be a character from my favorite story at that, but what else could I really do?
I nodded, my stomach in my throat.