INTERLUDE BEWTEEN THE LORD OF THE RINGS, AND DOUBLE LIVES.

Part 1

This is the Story of a Young Human named Odette.

Hello. My name is Odette. And for my own purposes, I would rather not give my last name.

To describe myself, I am human; I am about five feet, eleven inches. I have blue eyes, brown hair waist length with highlights of blonde, I weigh about one hundred and twenty seven pounds, I am twenty and five years of age, my natural home is Minas Tirith, I am a ranger, and can speak Common Tongue, Elvish, Dwarven, and the old dialects.

To start out my story, I am going to tell you how I got to Middle Earth after a long period of being in the land across the seas.

I had heard of Saurons defeat in Middle Earth, and it had brought me great joy, especially because of who had beaten him, and now…I sat here watching him.

I was in a pub, a very good one, for this part of the world, but the ones in Minas Tirith, or even the prancing pony were better.

I kept in touch with my family, or what was left of it, and I even kept in touch with Arwen, who, when I was in Rivendell, I visited with often. She was like a sister to me.

I was in the usual Ranger attire, dark green clothes that blend in well with the trees, and some brown, for anything brown, with a dark green cloak, including the hood, and hunting sturdy boots.

People usually didn't like to mess with me because of the way I looked and acted. I was usually gruff, and short with people, unless I wanted to be part of their company, which had only happened once, away from in Rivendell.

The young hobbit, which I sat staring at, along with his companion, a wizard, whom I knew, quite well.

"Well, Well, Well. Young Frodo, look over there at that young lady, would you like to take a guess as to why she is staring at you?" Gandalf asked, then winked at me, from the side that Frodo could not see.

"I do not know, unless she has heard about Middle Earth. But how would she know that I'm that hobbit?" Frodo asked, looking like he was very uncomfortable.

"Because, I told her." Gandalf told him, much to his surprise. "Come along Odette, come sit with us." He invited.

I got up, and feeling like every eye in the pub was on me, walked over and sat with them.

"Mister Frodo Baggins. I have heard much about you, and not just from Master Gandalf, but from my brother, who is in Middle Earth. I am Odette, as you now know." She said, sitting down.

"Yes. If you don't mind my asking, who was you're brother?" Frodo asked.

"I think we should not go there, eh?" Gandalf said, taking the subject away from Odette and her family.

Odette looked at Gandalf, and without saying anything, gave her thanks, then looked at Frodo.

"I have a message for you, I came over on a boat, my own in fact, not to many months ago, but I travel back and forth, seeing how I cannot get notes from my brother unless I get them myself, so you could say, I am the courier for across the seas. And now, here are your notes, from some other hobbits like yourself." She handed him some letters, which he was careful to take, but also very shy about it. "I believe the majority of the letters are from a young hobbit named Samwise Gamgee."

"From Sam?" asked Frodo, looking surprised yet joyful.

"Gandalf, I wish to speak with you for a moment…in private. It is about going ons in Middle Earth." Odette told him, looking mysterious, but yet like she knew what she was talking about.

"Yes, yes, I know, we must talk about it, it is not a option." Gandalf said, looking upset that this was mentioned, but understanding.

As they walked outside, they kept looking back at Frodo, who, still, was reading his letters, and looked like he didn't even realize they were gone. Odette was thinking, he will soon look up, and realize we're gone, and he'll probably be asking around. That would be something to look at.

"Gandalf, there is more trouble, Lord Aragorn needs your help. The war is about to start, and there are just as many as there was with one of the biggest wars in all of our history. But this time, they will not split up because you kill the leader. They will fight until they are dead, or they win." Odette told him, looking frightened.

"It will be alright. Everything will turn out like it should, and nothing very horrible should happen." Gandalf told her, looking uncertain, but his voice did not quaver.

They finished talking about all of the different positions of the battle, and then they went back inside the pub, went to their table, and found that Frodo, who they could not see, was gone.

When they had been sitting for a few minutes, they found that Frodo was heading back to the table, finally having seen them.

"Where was it that you had gone? I looked up from my letters, and you were both gone." Frodo told them when he reached them, sitting down.

"While you were reading your letters, we went outside and talked about…the…thing we needed to talk about." Gandalf told him.

They sat and talked for a while, late into the night, then Odette was about to go to her room in the pub, and Gandalf and Frodo invited her to stay at the house where they lived.

"Oh, no, I couldn't. I'll just stay here, that way I don't bother you." Odette explained to them.

"We insist. You will be coming and staying with us, and we will not take no for an answer." Gandalf told her, taking her arm.

When they got outside and mounted their horses, and rode to the home, Odette nearly fell off her horse. There were orcs everywhere, armed, and looked like they were about to start a fight.

"Odette, calm down, strangely enough, these are the patrolmen. They do things differently around these parts of the world." Gandalf told her, holding her back, when she was about to draw her sword.

"Well, yes, I knew that, but I've spent a lot of time around these parts, and have never seen them." She said, relaxing.

"Have you ever been in these parts after dark? Or as late as we are?" Frodo asked her, making a good point.

When they actually got inside, Odette started looking around for more surprising things, to have them explained as well, so as not to wake up in the morning and find something she would injure and then have to pay for it, with what little money she had left.

When she found something, she would ask Frodo or Gandalf, and when she finished finding items, she was finally shown to her room, and went to bed.

Several months after she had found Gandalf and Frodo, and Odette finally started getting to know the parts where they lived, Odette started to go back and forth across the seas to Middle Earth again, to get all the letters that had accumulated in the time that she had not gone, and there were very many, because of all the letters that she would take from the hobbits for Gandalf, but mostly for Frodo, from Sam.

With all the letters that Frodo had too read, he spent most of his time reading them and responding to them, and sending other letters to everyone that he knew, trying to get back in touch with them.

One day, Odette was walking around, trying to get outside without to many people bothering her, carrying her all of her letters to read outside. When she finally got outside, the letter that she opened first was from the Lady Arwen, talking about all the elves that she missed that were over here, saying how she was going to meet Odette one of these days, to get to go across the seas, and see her father, since Odette had means to get there, and she would go back and forth.

The second that she opened was from Lord Aragorn, telling her of all the battles that had occurred, and asking for recruits if she could get them from where she was staying, and to see if she could find 'The Wizard Gandalf', since he was not only an old friend, but also able to help if he chose to do so. She soon finished reading all of her letters, and went to find Gandalf, to ask his help for recruiting soldiers, or anybody that knew how to fight.

When she found him, he was walking away from her, "Gandalf!" She yelled, "Would you mind if I walked with you?" She asked, finally catching up to him.

"Not at all. Company is always nice during a sunny day walk. Though when I walk and it is raining outside, I like to walk alone, and so I would appreciate it of you don't ask me if you can walk with me for such days." Gandalf said, smiling at her.

"I have a letter that I think you should read, it is from Aragorn." Odette told him, handing him the letter.

For a moment, they had stopped walking, while Gandalf read the letter. When he finished, he looked very upset.

"Is it really this bad?" Gandalf asked her.

"I'm afraid it is, and it's even spreading to the hobbits, which shows that it is as bad as the last war, the war for the whole world. Aragorn is even asking the hobbits for help, if they can give it, as well as the elves and dwarves. But he is really wanting your help, it seems that your help is most important to him, and I can understand why." She told him, taking the letter from him again.

"It seems that I must offer some kind of assistance." Gandalf said, walking on.

For quite some time, they continued walking in silence; they Gandalf started inquiring about the war again.

When they had spent most of the day in this manner, they went inside for their supper, met up with Frodo, talked with him, seeing if he knew of anyone that he knew who would be able to help.

"I know of no one. But…if it is really getting that bad, I will help. I am anxious to see Sam and Merry and Pippin again, and with this I would be able to. Yes…I will help." Frodo said, looking haunted, but sincere.

"Master Frodo, I will only allow you on my boat of you will not fight. You have fought in a great war before, it is true, but this one is completely different." Odette told him, kneeling down to his level.

"For the time being, I believe I can promise you this, unless Lord Aragorn asks for my help, or for help while I am there, in which case, I shall go and accompany him." Frodo explained. "If you will not take me, I will find another way." He told her, looking determined.

"I would not have it any other way." She said, smiling at him, then standing up again, looking at Gandalf. "We still must find more help. Do you know where I should start?" She asked him.

"I will start doing research. But I'm afraid you will not be able to start for quite some time." He told her.

"I'm afraid that will not work. I will be starting to look tomorrow." She said, looking stubborn herself.

"Odette, you must be patient. If you hurry and be rash, we will not know if the people you ask will stay with Aragorn, or go with the orcs. Some people here will go without another thought about it, and I don't think you are wanting that to happen." Gandalf told her, looking grave.

"Then I am afraid I must wait, but please do hurry." Odette told him.

Several weeks after her note, she started to look for recruits, and finally started to find some that were willing to help with the war.

When she had near fifty men, plus Frodo, she asked Gandalf to continue with finding more recruits willing to leave in two months time.

On the morning of their departure, she woke up to find that she had caught a very bad disease from the passing to and fro for recruits.

She decided that since there were people that were seamen and knew how to sail, she got ready, and took everything to her boat-really a small ship-and started loading everything that people had brought that were already there.

About two hours after the sun had risen, they were all packed up, except for young Master Frodo. When he finally got there, she hurried and packed his things, they boarded and set sail.

As they traveled, Frodo saw many things that he had not seen since he had crossed, that had been within sight of land. Odette, on the other hand, did not pay attention to any of the landscape, since she had seen it too many times to count.

Without Gandalf to amuse them with fireworks, or in this case, water works, then they had games of all sorts going when someone wasn't on duty. They had games of all sorts, fighting was the most popular.

"FRODO! GET OVER HERE!" Odette screamed at him, standing at the wheel of the ship. "I NEED YOUR HELP!"

"WHAT! WHAT IS IT! IS SOMETHING WRONG?" Frodo asked, running up to her as fast as he could.

"Nothing's wrong. Can you get me some food and water? Please?" When he nodded his consent, still panting from his scare, "Thank you." She said.

When he got back with her food, then she stuck her foot in the rungs, and ate while she steered.

When they had been on sea for many days, everybody started getting annoyed with each other, and yelling constantly, except Odette, who was only yelling when she had too, as she had a throat sickness.

On the day that they got to land, most of the men started drinking, as a sign of happiness, but most just started shouting.

Odette hid her joy, and continued to steer the ship into the harbor, looking everywhere on the land for some sign of a familiar face, but seeing none, looked back at her work.

When the ship was docked, she let all the men get off first, since they had already gotten all of their baggage, then she went to her cabin, and gathered all of her necessities, looked around, for she felt that she would not be seeing her ship again, and let for land, to find a way to travel.