Disclaimer: We don't own a single thing that belongs to Tolkien, so please don't sue us; it's pointless as you would only be depriving us of the essential basics of living. The only things we own are Welestra and Sirithwingwen.

A/N(Pennlachwen): I've never been to New Zealand, so I don't actually know the landscape aside from what I've seen in the movie, so if I screw something up I'm sorry.

Chapter One - Passing Through

After months of planning, Siri and Welestra were finally going to take a vacation and meet for the first time. The girls decided on rugged New Zealand, knowing that its mountains and forests would provide the exact outdoor challenge they were looking for. They met at the airport in Wellington, and Siri drove them to the hotel they were staying in that was closest to the areas they would be hiking in, being the only one to brave driving on the opposite side of the road. It was approximately six o'clock in the evening New Zealand time when they arrived, so the both of them went out to a pub for a meal and drink, then spent the rest of the night planning the next day's activities.

The first day went off without a hitch. The weather was beautiful and the conditions were perfect for a hike through the forested area they were closest to, so at sunrise they left the hotel with their backpacks and set out for whatever adventures awaited them.

Spring in New Zealand was like stepping into another world. The woods were completely alive with sound and activity, almost if the trees themselves were contributing. Songs of birds neither of them had heard in their lives wafted through the branches above them, ground animals ran to and fro, springs and rivers pulsated with life. The irregular path they were walking on had many twists and turns, but did not have any paths that lead off it; it was almost as if the wood was leading them somewhere. Siri and Welestra stopped for lunch in a clearing about ten feet from the path, sitting amongst shafts of sunlight and songbirds flying through them overhead. Welestra glanced about herself.

"Hey Siri," she began casually. "Did you notice anything, different, in this wood?"

Siri wrinkled her brow. "What do you mean?"

Welestra turned to her friend. "Well, take the path for example. There were no other paths leading off of it somewhere; it was just that one. Don't you think that odd?"

"No," Siri answered. "The undergrowth probably just grew over any paths that did exist."

"But usually you can at least TELL there was a path there once. There were no indications of any other paths other than the one we were on." Welestra pressed, still unsettled.

"So? Maybe no one goes off the main path," Siri replied, sounding slightly irritated.

"Siri you can't tell me people wouldn't find other paths in a wood of this magnitude," Welestra tried to reason. "I've seen more paths in smaller woods."

"Les I wouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy the scenery; that's what we're here for," Siri shrugged.

Welestra rolled her sapphire blue eyes at Siri and shook her head. "Don't be so unimaginative...besides the path is part of the scenery." she retorted triumphantly.

Siri made a impish face at her from beneath her mass of silver hair and chuckled softly. "Lestra! I am not being unimaginative! Just realistic! It's a path....so what if there aren't any others? There is a logical reason for it!" She chuckled again and tugged angrily with her hair, struggling to get it into a neat bun.

Welestra shot her a look as she handed her a hair tie. "You...logical...well THAT'S a first!"

Siri took the black band and finally got her silver hair situated and snorted. "Hey...I may have pointy ears....but maybe I'm not a elf, I could be a Vulcan like off of Star Trek!" She put on her best serious face and glowered at Welestra as they began to eat. "That is illogical Lestra..." she giggled and stuck her tongue out.

Welestra popped a bit of cheese in her mouth and feigned shock. "Hey! We are Tolkien experts! Not Star Trek experts! Get it right!"

Siri threw a piece of lettuce from he salad at Welestra and smiled impishly. "I know, I know, it just comes from living in a family full of science fiction freaks; I SWEAR I am adopted. Besides, I am the only one in the whole family with these pointy ears!" She pointed at her ears for emphasis and nodded.

Welestra glanced around, her hair, such a deep blue it seemed black falling to obscure her vision. She swatted it away and then turned back to Siri. "Well elf or no elves...I still think these woods are strange!"

Siri raised a pale, slender hand and gestured at the woods around them, glancing around herself with her amethyst eyes. "Oh come on...there really isn't anything weird abou-" She trailed off in mid-sentence, her eyes focusing in on something to Welestra's left.

"What?" Welestra quirked a brow and turned her head to see what her good friend was gazing so intently at.

"That." Siri pointed a finger at the object that had struck her interest.

"WHAT?" Welestra asked impatiently, her sapphire eyes following Siri's finger. "All I see is a plant."

"Exactly! I'm talking about the plant!" Siri quirked a thin, platinum brow of her own and stood up, brushing her hands on her jeans as she walked over towards it. "No...it couldn't possible be..." she muttered to herself as she carefully inspected the plant, almost afraid to touch it.

"WHAT?" Welestra insisted, becoming impatient. "I can barely see it from here!"

"Well come here then," Siri insisted, her voice filled with wonder.

"All right, all right!" Welestra stood up and gracefully made her way to Siri's side, both brows quirked in bemusement at her friend's strange fascination with the native flora.

"Look!" Siri pointed at the plant insistently. Its leaves were a deep, glossy emerald green that shimmered from the sun's reflection, giving it a almost unearthly glow. Most intriguing and amazing however were the flowers that grew upon it; they were large, larger than most flowers and the blooms were shaped like perfect stars, and were a bright shimmering gold. Siri poked at one of the blooms timidly. "Call me nuts Lestra...but this looks like elanor to me."

Welestra took a deep breath and gazed at the bloom. "The winter flower of Lorien...one of the flowers that grew on Cerin Amroth....where Arwen and Aragorn were troth."

Siri nodded. "Exactly....but it couldn't be! That's nuts!" She poked at the flower again, as if she expected it to lunge out and bite either her or Welestra at any moment.

"LOOK!" Welestra exclaimed, her finger pointing a few feet away from the plant.

"What?" Siri turned and her amethyst eyes widened in disbelief. Another bloom perched upon the same plant. Only with flowers of a pristine, perfect white, also shaped like stars were blooming just mere feet away from the plant they were standing in front of.

"And that looks like..."

"Niphredil." Welestra finished, her voice tinged with wonder. "The flower that always bloomed with elanor."

Siri nodded and stepped forward to look at the other plant. She leaned down and carefully plucked a single bloom from the plant.

"Siri what are you doing?"

Siri turned and showed Welestra the bloom. "I'm just taking one...I want to ask around, see if anyone knows what it is."

"Not a bad idea " Welestra said as she plucked one of the golden blooms free. "I bet no one will know"

Siri chuckled. "I almost hope they don't. Come on, let's pack up lunch and do a little more poking around before it rains or something."

Welestra nodded in agreement, and together the two of them diligently packed away the remnants of their lunch and carefully placed the mysterious flowers, wrapped in napkins, into their backpacks.

True to it's earlier form the path twisted, turned and seemed to haphazardly lead them to nowhere, yet still there were no other paths branching off.

"Some of these birds sound so foreign.and strange," Welestra said as she stopped, gazing up into the canopy.

Siri had to jump to avoid running right into Welestra because of her sudden stop. "Don't do that! I'll knock us both over!" She chuckled, followed her friend's example and gazed upwards. "Seems like we are getting into a deeper part of the forest here...the sunlight isn't as strong."

"I know...it's still beautiful thoug-" Welestra's thought was interrupted by a rustling sound in the bushes that came seemingly out of nowhere and managed to startle both girls.

"What was that?"

Siri turned to the direction from whence the noise had come, her eyes focusing in one the bushes. "Why are you asking me? I have no idea!"

Welestra quirked a brow and took a step towards the bushes, only to be gently jerked back by Siri's slender hand.

"What?" Welestra protested, shooting her a indignant look.

"We have no idea what it is....it could be a...a..."

"A terribly rabid rabbit." Welestra finished with a snort.

"Oh hush! It could be a wolf...or something" Siri said, trying to defend her actions.

"Do they even have wolves in New Zealand?"

Siri shrugged and took a step forward herself, her curiosity getting the better of her; she was by nature fearless.

Both girls were cautiously making their way to the bushes when they rustled again, and then something small, perhaps no more than three and a half feet tall dashed out from the bushes directly behind the shrubbery they were gazing at, it was quick and because of the low light and their shock, neither girl got a good look at it.

"What the..." Welestra trailed off, obviously in shock.

"Ummm, a rabid lawn gnome?" Siri offered up, in just as much shock as her friend.

Welestra chuckled nervously. "I doubt it...but it was definitely something!"

Siri shook her head, stray pieces of silver hair falling across her cheeks. "There is no doubt of that...this is getting...quite...odd," she muttered, still staring malignantly at the bushes.

"Well when we booked the trip the tour guide promised fun and excitement in the wilds of New Zealand."

"Yeah Lestra, only she left out the part about strange Flora and rabid garden gnomes."

Welestra nudged Siri and chuckled. "Come on, whatever it was is gone."

Siri nodded and both girls turned their backs to the bushes to head back onto the path when they heard another rustling. They both turned in unison and were just quick enough to catch another figure, much the same as the last dashing farther into the bushes, as if they had scared it.

"Ok, I didn't see that," Siri muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"More rabid garden gnomes," Welestra joked, her brows quirked in befuddlement.

"Ok, this is starting to freak me out a bit," Siri tugged on Welestra's arm, pulling her back onto the path as if the path would bring some stability back to the odd situation. "Come on Lestra, follow the yellow brick...err, path."

"Very funny Siri....I want to see what it is."

"Was Lestra, what it was....and whatever it was obviously does not wish to be seen."

"All right, all right," Welestra allowed Siri to pull her back albeit reluctantly and they started back down the path, both throwing glances over their shoulder for the first few steps.

"Lestra, is it just me, or do you have goose bumps?"

Welestra quirked a brow, then nodded confirmation. "You too? Logically we shouldn't, it feels like its 110 degrees out here!"

"I know...weird...." Siri trailed off as she stopped in the middle of the path.

"What's wrong?" Welestra inquisitively poked Siri in the side, though she felt something too.

"Something just...feels weird, like it's not quite right...in the air...all around us."

Welestra nodded and took a deep breath. "I feel the same thing. I would say it's just downright creepy...but it's way worse than that."

Siri nodded to her friend, her amethyst eyes warily scanning the path in front of them, and the shadows that merged overhead. "Exactly....more like downright foreboding..."

"Or menacing," Welestra added as the two girls stood completely still, almost afraid to breathe.

"That too," Siri breathed, her eyes darting across the path. Both girls could feel the eyes that were marking them, but neither could see them. They continued warily through the woods again with guarded eyes and ears but saw and heard nothing. Soon the fright left them and they had continued on as they had earlier in the day. Gradually the light grew though late afternoon had come and a breeze picked up. Both Welestra and Siri could feel a change in the woods with more alien birds singing, less animals moving about and even the scenery began looking different; gone were the flowers of Lorien.

"Siri," Welestra began, abruptly stopping dead in her tracks. "Look around you."

Siri stopped and glanced about. "What am I looking at?"

Welestra turned to Siri, her black-blue hair waving with the motion. "What does this place remind you of?"

Siri beheld the vista again, threads of silver falling in her face. She brushed them away absent-mindedly. "I don't know."

"Oh come on Siri," Welestra groaned, rolling her sapphire eyes. "I've only seen it four times while you've seen it sixty-seven times and I recognized it before you did. Think about it."

Before Siri could survey again, an eerie unnatural voice answered Welestra. "Sssshhiiiiiiiiire."

Chills ran through both girls, and Welestra trembled for a couple of moments. Siri spotted a large shadowy figure moving fluidly in the distance to their left making a noise similar to hoofbeats. Welestra began backing up slowly and pulled Siri back after her. "Come on Siri, we have to go."

"Why?" Siri inquired, trying to wrestle her arm out of Welestra's grip. It was no use; Welestra's hand had become like iron.

"Because it's not safe," Welestra answered, pulling Siri after her and walking quickly in the opposite direction. "We can't protect ourselves like this. It's best to just go."

Siri was still perplexed. "Protect ourselves from what? Lestra, you're not making any sense!"

"Sssh," Welestra indicated, putting a slim index finger to her own lips. "It's following us. We have to get out, and swiftly."

Siri glimpsed behind herself. The black enigma was indeed following them. To her it looked like nothing more than a black figure far off in the distance, but clearly it must have been more if it had Welestra so alarmed. "What is it?"

"A ringwraith," Welestra answered quietly but calmly. "We need to get out of these woods before we run into some other Middle Earth creature."

"A what?!" Siri exclaimed in a whisper. With a vigorous jerk of her arm Siri freed herself of Welestra's grip and stopped. "Welestra you've lost your mind."

Welestra turned to face her friend. "Come on Siri, stop and think for one minute. First the elanor and niphredil plants, then those two things in the bush that were probably hobbits and now a ringwraith; don't you think that means something?"

Siri reflected on it. She did have a point; as far as anyone knew elanor and niphredil didn't exist, and those two things in the bush did look a little like hobbits from the brief glance that she had gotten, but it was too unreasonable......

"Welestra, I think you've been in the sun too long. Those flowers could have been Tolkien's inspiration for the books and those things in the bushes could have been anything," Siri tried though still speaking in whispers.

"Then how do you explain the voice on the wind, and the black macabre following us?!" Welestra challenged in hushed tones.

An unearthly scream stopped both their conversation and their breath, and the sound of hoofbeats became more rapid. Sharply Welestra assessed the area, and saw that to the left behind them the trees grew close together; they would be safest going in that direction.

"Come on Siri," Welestra instructed, indicating the direction she had decided upon. "It can't follow us through here."

She turned and ran, and Siri followed without question. The scream followed them and Siri could see the creature trying to ride after them. Welestra looked back as well, determination burned on her face. Fear had quickly left the both of them, and they only desired safety so as to slow down and piece together all the mysterious events of their day. Siri was nimble, seemingly knowing every root, tree and bush in the wood; nothing slowed her down. Welestra was fluid, weaving through the trees like a river through the rocky bed. She could see in her mind what was happening behind her, suddenly possessing a gift to see with the wind that was blowing around them. The miscreant had to slow down severely, desperately trying to direct the horse it rode around the trees to get to the two figures who were getting farther and farther away. With a desperate scream it stopped, circled around and rode back into the unexplored depths of the woods.

They didn't stop running until they had cleared the woods, and they turned to look back when they had. The creature was gone, and the wind died down until it was hardly a whisper in the trees. Siri looked over to Welestra.

"Okay, do you want to tell me what that was about?"

"I would if I knew myself," Welestra answered. "Come on, let's get back to the hotel."

In silence they walked, almost immune to fatigue despite having just run an unknown distance in the woods. They washed up, went out to another pub but didn't stay long. The day's events had hindered them too much to just be pushed aside. Back to the hotel they went, and once they had entered their own hotel rooms the first thing both of them had done was taken out the flowers they had found in the woods. Siri examined the niphredil flower in her hand, twisting it carefully so as to examine each detail of each petal. She was so entranced with its primeval beauty she didn't hear Welestra open her door.

"What do you think it means Siri, us finding these things?" she asked, walking in and holding the elanor bloom. "I mean, clearly no one's seen these things except for us, and the people here know that wood better than us and no one has ever mentioned the things we've seen."

Siri continued to gaze at the flower in her hand. "I don't know. None of this is making any sense; mysterious flowers from Lothlorien, hobbit- looking things running through the woods, a ringwraith chasing us for who knows what reason and we don't even have any Ring of Power.......I just don't understand the connection or the reason."

"Well if you want to add to the collection of the 'Weird Things We Saw in the Woods' list, don't forget the mallorn trees," Welestra replied, seating herself in a chair. Siri jerked her head up.

"What mallorn trees? I didn't see mallorn trees."

"You mean you didn't notice the golden hue on the tree that these flowers were growing around? The whole clearing was surrounded by them."

Siri was taken aback; she hadn't noticed, and she usually prided herself on noticing every unusual detail that was in her vicinity. "Now it makes even less sense than before. First we go from New Zealand to some place that oddly resembles Lothlorien, then walk into what looked like the Shire and ran out of the woods back to reality."

"Well there's got to be a reason Siri," Welestra stated assuredly. "Things like that don't just appear to anyone."

"Are you saying that we have something to do with Middle Earth?" Siri asked, doubt dripping in her voice. "Lestra that's ridiculous."

"Maybe so," Welestra agreed, idly twisting the elanor bloom in her hand. "But I think we should go back tomorrow and see what else we can learn."

"Lestra we're not going back into that wood," Siri declared. "Next time we may end up dead."

Welestra raised an eyebrow. "You mean, your curiousity is going to let you avoid something like that?"

Siri could hear the doubt in her voice and knew she was right; eventually the desire to try and figure out that wood would eventually get the better of her. She sighed heavily in defeat. "Alright, fine. We'll go back tomorrow afternoon."

Welestra smiled, pleased with the victory. Without saying a word she got up and left Siri's room to get a restful sleep. Tomorrow would be an eventful one.

The Next Day........

Welestra and Siri got an early start at a small mountain range nearby and lingered there until mid-afternoon, upon which they headed back to the mysterious wood they had been in before. They stopped at the eaves of the forest, slightly hesitant. Welestra turned to Siri.

"We'll go through the thickets, and avoid the path. If anything like that ringwraith is wandering about, the thicket is the safest place to be." Welestra instructed with authority. Siri only nodded confidently, and followed her friend into the woods.

The woods looked much like it had when they left the day before. Much walking did they do, and nothing did they see; no Lothlorien flowers, no hobbits, no ringwraith. Neither would say it, but both girls had thought it was some sort of hallucination until they realized that they had been out for hours, and it had grown dark into the night. Siri stopped.

"We should be more cautious now. The darkness may be our cover, but it may also prove to be our weakness."

Siri took the lead with Welestra following closely behind. The trees began growing thinner which caused an uneasiness in Siri and Welestra's mind to race with backup plans should the Nazgul materialize at any moment. A wind picked up again, and Welestra suddenly grabbed Siri's arm and hauled her back.

"What is it Lestra?" Siri asked startledly.

Welestra glanced around. "Something's nearby."

"The ringwraith?" Siri questioned in a whisper. Welestra shook her head.

"Smaller." Welestra stood sentinal, as if the very wind itself was speaking to her in some primordal language. Her brow crinkled as if she couldn't understand what it was telling her and Siri's curiousity sprang to life.

"What?"

Welestra turned to her friend. "They're hobbits. Four of them."

"Hobbits?!" Siri exclaimed quietly. Welestra nodded in affirmation.

"They're not that far from us, but they're moving. I can hear water lapping; they must be heading for it."

"Where?" Siri expressed in a serious tone.

"That way," Welestra answered her, point slightly to their left. Silently they ran through the woods, the danger of a ringwraith and the possibility of more did not concern either of them. They ran out of the woods and came to the river Brandywine. Now being free of the confinements of the forest they ran along the edge of the shore, unusually quicker than either had ever known they could be. It wasn't long before they came to Buckleberry Ferry and saw the most unusual sight.

"OHMYGOD," Welestra breathed, her eyes as wide as saucers. "TELL ME you see that, Siri, just tell me you see it."

Siri's jaw was nearly in her lap as she blinked in shock, her amethyst eyes staring in disbelief at what was in front of her.

"I SEE it, I just can't believe it."

In front of the two awe-struck girls running towards it at full speed, and just as both had imagined it, were three unmistakable figures; hobbits - Merry, Pippin, and Sam. The trio ran as fast as their short and somewhat clumsy legs could carry them. Neither girl could believe it, the whole scene played out before their eyes like the movie itself, and it took both a moment to realize they were not in a theater, and this was no movie.

"You had better believe it," Welestra whispered as she took a step forward. "We are in Middle Earth."

Siri shook her head, silver tresses falling across her eyes; she swatted them away. "This is completely illogical...but...but..."

She trailed off as the trio of hobbits jumped onto the ferry, frantically screaming and waving their arms; both girls could hear them clearly.

"RUN FRODO! RUN!"

"Oh....OH MY GOD...THE NAZGUL!" Siri shrieked, turning to look in horror.

Welestra turned with her, amazingly blue eyes wide with terror and understanding. "The Nazgul," she repeated and backed up a step.

Then it happened; the small, brave figure that could only be none other than Frodo Baggins dashed out from betwixt the woods, his face contorted in fear and horror because of the creature behind him. It was of course a Nazgul, fearsome and just as wretched as described, if not more so. It sat its macabre steed, tall in the saddle, swathed in cloaks so black it seemed a living shadow and it was racing after Frodo with alarming speed. The other hobbits were still screaming, Sam's voice loudest over the other, his concern for Frodo apparent in the urgency of his voice.

"JUMP MR. FRODO, JUMP!"

Frodo was racing towards the ferry, the Nazgul directly behind him, and Siri and Welestra both watched in dumbstruck awe as he leapt forward making a desperate attempt to escape the ringwraith. An action that should have only took a second seemed to stretch out for a eternity as the girls watched it all happen in slow motion. Then the moment passed, speeding up and Frodo was on the ferry, the hobbits escaping the Nazgul.

"Holy..." Welestra, who pointed, cut off Siri as she motioned towards the Nazgul.

The ringwraith had spotted them, and it was apparently not going to be choosy when it came to new targets; it was riding towards them.

Both girls froze for a moment then Siri, having thankfully attended Renaissance faires for most of her life snapped into action. She pulled two long-daggers from the inside of her boots and placed one in Lestra's hand, clamping her friend's fingers over the hilt.

"We can't run, it's on a horse. We have to do something," Siri answered before Welestra could protest, and she didn't have time to; the Nazgul was upon them.

Siri was good with weapons, especially swords and blades, and Welestra was no novice either. But this was a Nazgul, and it was also on horseback, putting both girls at a extreme disadvantage. Welestra dodged a blow from the creature's sword, ducking underneath it as she stabbed upwards; her dagger met the flesh of the horse's flank which momentarily disoriented both horse and rider. Siri took the opportunity and positioned herself to one side, and with a quick, calculated move she stabbed the Nazgul's hand. The creature lost its grip on the horse's reigns and screeched, the sound bone-chilling to say the least. Welestra looked to Siri, both girls knew they didn't stand much of a chance; they had to distract it enough to make an escape. Siri back stepped and nearly tripped over a dead tree branch, which may have been bad if it had not given her a idea. They were several feet back from the creature now, just enough time to make her idea work.

"Lestra...the matches. THROW ME THE MATCHES!"

Welestra hesitated for a moment, then nodded as if she realized Siri's plan and she pulled the matches from her pocket and threw them to her friend who fumbled with the book of matches for a second. She finally pulled a match free, then closed her eyes and struck it against the book. "PLEASE let this work," she thought.

The match sparked to life, and Siri yelped as it nearly burned her fingers. She placed it against the dead branch and in a moment it was blazing.

Welestra knew exactly what Siri's plan was now, and bravely she ran forward, Siri following her as they rushed the Nazgul. Welestra practically threw herself at the creature, her dagger in hand as she stabbed wildly at it's gauntleted wrist. The creature shrieked and was distracted from Siri just long enough for her to throw the burning branch directly at it. In the space of a heartbeat its cloak was smoldering, flames shooting up its length.

Neither girl waited to see just how long the creature would stay distracted. Both knew where there was one Nazgul there were others; they had been lucky but may not be quite so fortunate the second time around.

So grabbing each others hand, so they did not lose one another in the confusion, the two girls ran from the screeching, shrieking wraith and towards the woods. They had no choice; they had nowhere else to go.

They ran in silence for what seemed like hours, yet it was really only moments. Then Siri stopped and balanced herself on a tree, trying to catch her breath, sweat beading on her forehead.

"Siri, we cant stop," Welestra pleaded, tugging on her hand.

"I'm not stopping, just catching my breath for a minute...trying to think of what to do next."

Welestra frowned in the darkness, her slender arms crossed over her chest. "Don't say we have to go back."

"I was not going to say that, besides...how CAN we? I don't even know how we got here to begin with!" Siri muttered as she swept her silver tresses back.

"You have a very valid point; Tolkien experts we may be, but time-travel experts we are not."

Siri chuckled nervously, her amethyst eyes darting around the shadowed trees. "Time Travel? Try dimension warp....maybe a hole in the time-space continuum...or something."

"This isn't Star-Trek Miss Vulcan."

"I know, I know....just couldn't resist. I love Tolkien as much as you; I saw the movie sixty-seven times remember? Ok...seriously we have to get to someplace with people, where it's safer."

Welestra nodded her agreement and both girls were about to move off again, not knowing in which direction to go when a loud, resounding boom echoed around them. The sky opened up and it began to rain. Not light sprinkles but an absolute downpour; it had both girls drenched to the bone before they could take five steps.

Siri stopped suddenly and closed her eyes, as if trying to concentrate.

"What are you doing?" Welestra inquired, the ice drops not affecting her at all.

"Trying...to picture a map."

"A map?"

"Yes a map, my map of Middle Earth at home..."

Siri was silent for another moment then she grinned and grabbed Welestra's arm.

"What?"

"I remember, to reach Bree, which seems the logical place to go, we need to go North-East, we go north, reach the Brandywine Bridge, then go east...we should reach Bree."

Welestra smiled at her friend and nodded. "Who would have though hours studying a map of Middle Earth would actually become a vital survival skill?"

Siri shrugged as her teeth chattered from the rain. "I'm just glad I bout the expensive copy of the trilogy with the map IN IT."

Welestra chuckled and tugged her friend anxiously along, both of them breaking into a brisk jog, inspired both by awe of their new situation, and fear of what lay ahead and beyond.

The rain never did let up, instead it only got worse, thunder and lightning surrounding them. It lit the horizon in eerie serpentine streaks as it crawled across the sky. Neither of them were exhausted, but instead exchanged a nervous glance or excited chuckle.

"Gee Lestra I hope you brought a camera."

Welestra shot Siri a look and chuckled softly. "I brought the camera there just isn't film in it!"

Siri snorted as she extended out a hair tie to her best friend so she could pull her sopping wet tresses from her face.

"No one at home will believe this."

"We may not make it home Siri."

The realization sank in then and it bought their quick run to a halt as they both realized they could be stuck, never seeing their friends or family again.

Siri then glanced up to the sky, her head tilted upwards as she took a deep breath. She squeezed Welestra's hand and smiled, trying to bring them both comfort in the situation.

"Somehow that doesn't seem to matter, I feel like we are home."

Welestra released Siri's hand and walked a few paces away. "To you maybe, but not me."

Siri became puzzled. "Lestra, what do you mean? I thought you loved Middle Earth as much as I do."

"I do," she assured, though sadness still blanketed her face. She gazed up. "But yet it still feels, I don't know, alien I guess. Like I don't belong here."

"Maybe you're just a little homesick or something," Siri tried. Welestra smiled woefully and shook her head.

"No, it's not that. I never felt like my home was home. I always felt like I belonged somewhere else, and I used to think that if I had the choice to live anywhere, real or not, it would have been Middle Earth and I would have been happy." She closed her eyes, and Siri could not tell if tears were falling or if it was just the rain. "Obviously that isn't so."

Siri sighed; there obviously wasn't anything she could do to help her friend feel better. She knew that when Welestra clammed up like this, no one could get through to her unless she let up. Siri gazed around, then turned to Welestra.

"Come on, let's get to Bree."

Without word Welstra nodded, and the girls continued running side by side in silence. Great speed and distance they made, and they slowed down when the west gate to Bree came in sight. The girls stopped, and Siri looked behind her. She crinkled her brow in puzzlement.

"Lestra, look behind you."

Welestra did, and saw the path spotted with water puddles. "What am I looking at?"

"There's hardly any footprints. They're so light that it appears that there's only one set."

She was right, to a point; the footprints were light, but something wasn't right about Siri's observations. Welstra looked directly behind her.

"Siri, I think you should take a look again."

Still puzzled she did, then widened her eyes as she realized what Welestra saw.

"There's only one set of footprints."

"And they're yours," Welestra added. "Siri, what is going on?"

"I don't know. This whole thing is illogical," Siri answered. She felt like she was having a nervous breakdown.

"I think it's about time you abandoned you sense of what is logical and what isn't Siri," Welestra commented solemnly. "We're in Middle Earth now, and clearly things are much different here."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying just go with the flow and deal with things as they come," Welestra answered. She gave Siri her dagger back, just realizing now that they both were still holding them. She turned and walked towards the gate. "We go to the Prancing Pony, dry off and have something to eat."

"And what about the hobbits? Shouldn't we wait for them?" Siri questioned, following Welestra. She spotted hobbit footprints on the ground, and bent down to get a closer look. Four tracks, which equaled four hobbits. "Oh wait, nevermind Lestra."

"What do you mean, nevermind? What did you find?"

Siri looked up. "Hobbit prints. They've already come this way."

Welestra joined her. "I wonder how long ago. It'll determine how much time we have."

"Have for what?"

"To go with Strider and the hobbits to Rivendell," Welestra stood up. "Depending on how long they've been inside the Prancing Pony, Frodo may or may not have put on the Ring yet. As soon as he does, those ringwraiths are going to flock to Bree. We can't be in the Prancing Pony when they do; we definitely won't be as lucky against all nine as we were with one."

"So are you saying we should catch up with them?" Siri asked. Welestra shook her head.

"No. They're going to have questions we don't have the answers to. To me the best idea is to get to Rivendell and speak with Lord Elrond. He may provide us with a direction, because if I know the books and the characters as well as everyone says I do, Strider's just going to take us to Rivendell anyway."

"Providing he wants to trust us," Siri added as the girls walked to the gate.

Siri hesitated before banging on the wooden door, and it was only a moment before the gatekeeper slid open the eye hole, shut it then open the door.

"What do you want?"

"We've come to stay at the Prancing Pony. We've traveled far and are in need of a place to stay for the night," Welestra replied before Siri could act.

"Two women eh?" the old gatekeeper inquired, taking a good look at him. "Tis strange to see two oddly-dressed ladies wandering out in the rain at night. Are you from Gondor or Rohan?"

"Rangers," she replied. "From the far north. If you please sir, we really need to get to the inn. We're, meeting someone."

"Alright, alright, in you come," the gatekeeper opened the door wider to let both girls in. "Too many rumours of strange folk running about near our town. Must be cautious of who you let in you know."

"Yes, thank you good sir," Siri gestured. She turned to Welestra as they walked through the cobble streets of Bree, weaving through drunk men. "I thought you said we weren't going to speak with Strider."

"We're not," Welestra agreed. "I just said the first thing that came to my head."

They came up to the Prancing Pony, and looked at eachother before going in. Siri pulled the door open, and they both walked in.

"You can do the talking Lestra, since you're the one who came up with this brilliant idea."

"It'll work, trust me."

"Well, to be honest I don't. Butterbur isn't going to let us stay."

"Watch and learn Siri."

They walked up to the bar, and Butterbur turned around.

"Good evening young ladies. We only have single rooms avaliable if accommodation is what you're seeking miss-"

"Miss Althea. My name is Althea, and this is Ellwyn."

"Miss Althea and Miss Ellwyn.....well what can I get you?"

Welestra sighed. "Well, we were attacked on the road by a group of wild men, and almost didn't get away. We had no possible way of defending ourselves and lost all but the clothes on our backs. We were on our way to Rohan, and meant to stop at Imladris to rest but as you can see our plans have changed. We really have no means of payment good sir."

Butterbur waved his hand. "Nonsense Miss Althea. It's not often ladies such as yourselves come to my inn, or survive the ruffians out in the wilds. Whatever you would like is on the house good ladies; surely you deserve it."

Siri was amazed; Welestra probably could have talked her way out of a death sentence with the way she made their case sound so much more terrible without mentioning the ringwraiths! She smiled and stepped into the conversation.

"Thank you so much Mr. Butterbur. Your kindness is greatly appreciated."

He smiled and nodded, saying he would bring them a warm meal, some clothes to change in, and offered them his two best rooms. They accepted, and went and sat at a table in the corner closest to the hearth. Right in Siri's line of sight was the four hobbits, all cautiously eating their meal. Siri nudged Welestra.

"There they are Lestra. Frodo's still there, so they obviously haven't been here long."

Welestra looked about. "Good. That gives us some time anyway." She spotted a hooded figure in the corner, gazing at Frodo. "Look, there's Strider."

Siri turned around. He gave no indication of them, just watched Frodo like a hawk. She could see the Ring of Barahir on his index finger, glinting slightly in the dim light. Butterbur came by and gave both girls a stack of clothes, saying it was all they had and that he hoped it would do. Both girls thanked him, and Siri left to change first while Welestra stayed to watch. She saw up until Merry came back with his beloved pint of ale, then Siri came back and Welestra took her turn. Both of then had black leggings and black boots that came up to their knees, and black tunics. Siri had a dark green shirt under her tunic, while Welestra had an ivory one. To add to it, they both wore belts of odd fashion, different from eachother with a place for a sheathed sword to hang on the left hip and black cloaks. In fact, they looked very much like Strider. Welestra was just fastening her cloak around her neck when she heard a commotion next door. Carefully she walked to the farthest wall, and heard Strider speaking with Frodo. Knowing that time was slipping, she ran out of her room and down the hall. Before she came to the stairs, she noticed a door partially opened. Letting curiousity get the better of her, she peaked in and saw a storage room of things guests had left behind. She saw two blades, looking very elvish by their sheaths, and a ranger's dagger. Instinctively she grabbed them, then ran back down to Siri. Noisily she threw one of the swords onto the table and began to fasten the other sword to her own belt.

"Lestra where did you get these?!"

"There was a room upstairs that had them. I figure since they were left behind we could use them."

Siri broke into a grin. "Brilliant! Lestra you're brilliant!"

Welestra smiled somewhat impishly. "I have my moments."

Siri grabbed the other blade and expertly fastened it to her belt. "Strider took Frodo upstairs. They're going to be here any minute."

"Yeah I know. They were in the room next door to mine." Welestra looked at Siri. "So where do we go?"

Siri grabbed her cloak as she explained. "Just across from the inn. They don't know we're here unless they see us, so if we stay out of sight-" Siri clasped her cloak. "Then all will go on its course and we can get out of here with the hobbits and Strider safely."

"So what are we waiting for?" Welestra asked simply. Siri gave a laugh and silently they slipped out of the inn. They sprinted across the road and hid in the shadows of an alley, watching the inn.

The girls heard the screams before they saw the nine, and the daunting hoofbeats got closer as they all rode up menacingly to the Prancing Pony. The five Nazgul who were waiting outside looked about, probably searching for Siri and Welestra, but didn't make any indication they knew the girls were there. Neither girl dared to speak, fearing it would give them away. Screeches suddenly burst through the dead air, and the other four came out and re-mounted, and they all rode away. The girls breathed out breaths they didn't know they held, and walked out.

"Strider probably is on his way out with the hobbits," Siri replied quietly. "We should go."

"Good idea."