Disclaimers: I do not own The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and other stories about Middle-earth. Those belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. All canon material belongs to their respected owners. All original material belongs to me, the authoress of this fanfiction story.
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Welcome to the first part in my Origin Tales: Parker Dooley tetralogy/quadrilogy. I'm still deciding whether this mini-series, for my Long Series, will consist of four or five stories. Hopefully, this mini-series will figure itself out. As for this chapter, I had to do some research on the 1930s, since that's where the female OC lives. It was fun doing research again, especially since I researched the 1930s before in the draft version of this mini-series. :)
That said, enjoy. :)
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The last thing Elizabeth Bowler wanted was to leave her home in New York City for England. She had relatives in England, but they didn't visit her or her American family that often. Elizabeth wondered if it had anything to do with her or because they were countries away. Now… now, she was with her nanny, Miss Harbinger, a stuck-up woman who preferred to read all day and hardly say two words to her, unless it was for a very good reason.
Elizabeth was fifteen when she read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit book. It was the best thing to come out, alongside Walt Disney's feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Her mind went wild during that time. She wanted to explore other worlds, meet dwarves up close, and defeat evil queens! Yes, traveling the world was nice, but it didn't compare to the adventures she might have in other realms.
"Stop filling your head up with such nonsense!" Miss Harbinger declared one day out of sheer annoyance. With little effort, she tossed Elizabeth's fairy tale book off to the side. "There's no such thing as fairies! In spite of what Peter Pan might think, we know better. Isn't that right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Elizabeth spoke, softly. She didn't want to believe what she was hearing! Peter Pan was real, as was Winnie-the-Pooh, as were the fairies! If no one believed her, then she would find a way to make them see. If anything, it would be nice to meet one of her favorite characters—
Her attention returned to reality, as soon as she entered hers and Miss Harbinger's cabin. The room was small, but that's the way Miss Harbinger wanted it, so she could keep an eye out on her, in case she stirred up trouble. Frankly, Elizabeth didn't care! She would see to it that she explored Middle-earth or, at least, some part of it. There wasn't any way she would miss this opportunity! No, not in the least!
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Days passed and still no sign of land. Elizabeth put on her pink blouse, a deep red long skirt, and brown shoes, before checking herself in the mirror. Still the same green-eyed, brunette-haired young lady she always was. She sighed in regret. Nothing about her changed much, and yet, if it were up to her to decide, she would meet a dragon and they could sail away together, to any land they so desired—
"Elizabeth, are you coming?" Miss Harbinger said, shaking her head upon seeing Elizabeth's clothes. "Oh Elizabeth, you're seventeen! If I were you, I would wait for a suitor to come and marry you." She tugged at the teenager's puffy sleeves. "It'll have to do. Now, come on!"
"Alright," Elizabeth sighed, following her nanny outside the cabin. She looked back, surprised to see a strange creature looking her way. It looked like a lizard but with a dragon's head. It was… almost human with black spikes and black claws. The way he looked at her was uncanny as if he wanted something… until he saw her, too, and vanished. "What?"
"What?" Miss Harbinger got her attention again.
"I thought I saw… a dragon. Well, he looked like a dragon." Elizabeth said, curious. "I'm going to see him again, aren't I? OUCH!" Why did Miss Harbinger have to tug her hair just now?
"You don't say those things in public!" Her nanny whispered harshly. "People will lock you up, just for saying that! Now, come on!"
"But, but—"
"Speak proper!" Her nanny declared, annoyed. "Come. It's time for tea!" She walked away, dragging Elizabeth down the corridor.
Elizabeth didn't understand. Why did she see that dragon-like creature? He looked… cute but also savage. Who was he? What was his story? Would they meet again? All she knew was, as she entered the ship's dining saloon for tea, that she was not alone.
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Thanks for reading. :)
References:
Peter Pan is from J.M. Barrie's 1904 play, under the same name. Winnie-the-Pooh is from A.A. Milne's book, also under the same name, which was first published in 1926.