Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of story of Lord of the Rings, they belong to the genius that is J. R. R. Tolkien. Also since I'm sticking to the books as opposed to the movies (for the most part) some of the dialogue also originated and belongs Mr Tolkien. However, the character of Thea and all her shenanigans are entirely my idea (probably founded from various other fanfictions but hey-ho!)

Theodora Gardner, Thea for short, was your average, just out of university girl. She was working in a local restaurant after not being able to get a job because she had gotten an arts degree at an establishment which although it likes to call itself a university is really still a college. As an aspiring artist her studio apartment was cluttered with half-finished pieces of work, paints, brushes, shreds of fabrics and other odds and ends that she found in charity shops. She never finished any of her paintings because, if she was truly honest to herself, she was uninspired. She had lost her passion for her art, and although she was a good artist she was never going to make anything from it because she didn't know what to paint. She needed something to inspire her. What she needed was an adventure.

"BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!" Ugh, go away. Five more minutes before work please? Slapping her hand on her alarm Thea buried her head further into her pillow to try and block out the oncoming thought of having to face work again today. It wasn't that her job was hard or anything, it was just dull.

Better face it sooner or later I suppose. Accepting defeat she crawled out of her bed and made her way to the small bathroom in her apartment. Brushing her teeth she looked at herself in the mirror, her blonde hair was a mess from sleeping, puffy bags were under her green eyes, and her lips were cracked from the cold weather. In all, she looked a state and she had given up trying to cover that fact with makeup. While she waited on her crappy instant coffee to brew she quickly wolfed down a few slices of dry bread to keep her going until her break then left the apartment, coffee in her 'borrowed' travel cup.

The street was pretty empty outside, well it would be at 5am on a Sunday, as she made her way to work in a sleepless daze. She had walked the same way to work so many time she could probably do it in her sleep now. It was due to this daze and assurance that no one could possibly be awake and out at this time that she didn't notice the boy walking towards her listening to his music until the two had collided and her coffee had gone down her shirt. Shit! Fuck that's hot!

"Hey watch where you're going!" The adolescent continued on his way as Thea tried to fix her shirt. Yep, there's no way I'm fixing this. I'll just have to see what they have at work for me.

Tired and angry and still thinking about her ruined shirt, Thea went to cross the road to get to work. But due to her preoccupied state over what had just happened she didn't see the car hurtling down the road until it was just a few metres away. Shit. Scared and stunned by the sudden appearance of the car she didn't have time to react. She blacked out as her body went over the hood of the car and rolled a few metres down the street, her head having hit against the window of the car and again on the road was bleeding and her body was covered in scrapes. But she hadn't felt a thing.

Am I dead? I have to be dead. There's no way the car stopped in time or that I somehow survived that. Fuck. I'm dead. Is there normally wind when you die? I can't be dead. If I'm dead why does it feel like I'm lying on grass?

Opening her eyes Thea saw that she was indeed lying on grass in a small clearing in a forest. Well this certainly isn't Dairsie. Standing up she didn't recognise any of her surroundings, the trees were tall and lush, the ground slightly moist and there was a sound of a river not far off. Nope, definitely not Dairsie. Looking down at herself she was no longer in her coffee stained shirt and work clothes, she was wearing brown leggings and a green cotton shirt. Well this is weird. Maybe I am dead? Deciding that standing in the clearing wasn't going to solve anything she started walking towards the sounds of the where the river was coming from. When she found it, it seemed more like a burn than a river. Bending down she splashed some water on her face and took a drink. It was cold and refreshing. It's better than that coffee anyway.

"Stand and state your business, stranger." What the fuck? Jumping at the voice behind her, Thea turned to find a tall man with long blonde almost white hair, which had pointed ears poking out, and grey eyes that looked at her in a guarded and questioning way. He also had his bow raised with an arrow aimed at her.

"Woah, calm down! Look my name's Thea and I honestly have no idea where I am. One minute I'm about to get hit by this car and the next I'm in this place wearing weird clothes. I think I've been drugged and placed somewhere, or I'm dead which is a good possibility. Either way could you lower the bow and help me out?" Geeze who does he think he is? Pointing a bow at someone drinking water, and who the hell carries a bows these days?

"I understood little of what you just said and I trust you less than before, but you are indeed in need of help. I shall take you to Lord Elrond, perhaps he can make sense of you. Come, we are not far from the gates of Rivendell." Finally putting his bow behind his back he offered her a hand up. I made no sense? He's the one talking gibberish! Maybe this 'Elrond' will know what's happened to me. Refusing to accept help from someone who had just pointed a bow at her, Thea ignored his hand and pushed herself up from the ground. Rolling his eyes at her, the man turned and began walking through the woods.

"From where do you hail, stranger?" He sure does talk funny.

"My name is Thea, and I'm not going to tell you where I'm from when I don't even know who you are."

"I am Legolas, of the Woodland Realm." This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder. 'The Woodland Realm'? What is that, New Zealand?

"I'm from Dairsie."

"Dairsie? I have not heard of such a place." Well ditto to where you're from buddy. They travelled on in silence from this point until they reached a stone archway which led to a beautifully sculptured city. Well this is all very art nouveau. The city was gorgeous and like nothing you could find back in Dairsie.

"Come, Lord Elrond will want to speak to you immediately." And with that he marched up the stairs of the city to a beautiful building, inside of it, down various corridors and finally into a great hall where three men stood. One was a tall man with a face that seemed neither old nor young, his long hair was dark and upon it sat a circlet of silver, and his eyes were grey like Legolas'. Another was a much older man, he had a long beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his tall grey hat, and he wore a long grey coat and had a wooden staff in his hand. The final man was lean, dark, and tall, with a shaggy head of dark hair flecked with grey, he had a pair of keen grey eyes set on his pale stern face that was covered with a light shadow of stubble. What is with these people and grey eyes?

"Lord Elrond, I found this girl not far from the gate. She appears to be confused and talking in riddles." Excuse me? I'm not the one talking in riddles here mister!

"Riddles hmm? Perhaps it is Bilbo she should speak to for that. But none the less, come what has happened?" The older man smiled softly at Thea. Aw what a cutie.

"Alright, my name is Thea and I'm from a place named Dairsie. I was on my way to work when I got hit by a car, only instead of waking up in hospital I woke up in a field. I think I may either be dead or in my comatose state in the hospital I am dreaming all of this." She summed up.

"If only this was all a dream." The stubbly man mumbled. What an odd thing to say. Do I sense foreshadowing here? Damn my English teacher would be proud of me for remembering that word!

"Well my dear unfortunately I cannot say whether you are dead or not, though you seem rather alive to me. As for if you are dreaming this, I can't help in that matter either. All I can say is that due to the time of your arrival I can only believe you have been sent here to help."

"To help with what?" It's not like I'm jumping to go back to my job or apartment or anything but best know what I'm getting into here.

"It may be easier for you to understand at the council meeting." The old man looked towards the ageless one, Lord Elrond.

"Gandalf are you sure it is wise?" Aha we finally have a name for the old geezer!

"I am certain."

"Very well, let us summon the council to decide the fate of the ring." The ring? What have I gotten myself into?