Chaos Unleashed: Part 2

...Well! You look a bit frightened, my friend! I suppose that last bit gave you quite a shock! Though I did warn you this would happen, didn't I? Tales such as these are often filled with twists and turns.

But you also look quite...confused. Where did they all go, you ask? What happened to them? Well, of course I'm going to tell you! I would be a horrible host if I just left you hanging like that! However...perhaps we could use a brief pause. To settle down from all that excitement and prepare for the rest of our long journey. Because believe me, it is far from over. Yes, yes...far from it.

In fact, that does sound like quite a good idea. Shall I get you something while you're just sitting there? Something to eat or drink, perhaps? I'm sorry to say I'm out of wine, or I would share it with you. I do remember there being a few apple tarts left in the kitchen, though.

What's that? You're not hungry? Oh. Well, I guess that's just as good.

Well, what else can I tell you? Life in the wide world goes on...full of its own comings and goings. People living their lives to the fullest...others making mistakes. I imagine you've done some of both, as have I. In fact, I've made some mistakes that should've cost me my life. But fate had other plans for me, it seems. Some I regret. And some I have learned from. And some, unfortunately, cost the lives of others...friends I once cared for very deeply. But in all of this, I have learned one thing in particular that I would not sacrifice for anything.

Loyalty is one of the greatest treasures you can ever dream of finding.

It will get you far in this world, I can promise you. It carried me quite a long way. In my lifetime, I have met people whose loyalty knows no bounds, and it is a beautiful thing. Too often in this day and age are people quick to turn their back on others for personal gain. Loyalty is more important now than it ever has been. Your friends and loved ones, one day...they will need someone who they can trust. And so will you. Do not take true friendship for granted. It does not come as often as it should anymore.

...Ahh, but enough of that. My apologies. I put too much of a damper on things, didn't I? Though in a way, it is quite relevant to the remainder of our tale here. Because this is when things get harder. This is when they will need to trust each other now more than ever to survive.

Hopefully they can find it in them to do just that.

Chapter One

Kathryn's POV

...Breathe...breathe...I can still breathe.

I tried to move my limbs. I tried to think. I tried to remember something, anything at all.

Just...breathe, Kathryn.

I couldn't.. My mind felt...dark. Hazy. Unexplored.

But you're still breathing...that means you're still alive.

Was I alive? I didn't feel alive. I felt cold, stiff... But no. I was breathing, and I was thinking. My mind was a bit less murky now. I could feel myself coming back to my senses. I was alive.

You're almost there...you can do it. Just...wake up...wake up...

It was slow, really slow, but I was getting there. I could hear faint, muffled voices, growing louder... A light growing behind closed eyelids.

Wake up, Kathryn...wake up...

I was so close. So close... I took a full, deep breath, my lungs sucking in sweet air for what felt like the first time in ages.

Wake up!

oOo

The first thing I saw was a blur of colors, a blob of red at the center of my line of vision. My ears were ringing, and everything hurt. Then my eyes finally began to focus, and I groaned as I recognized the face of Boromir hovering over me.

At my noise, his eyes widened briefly before looking up, past my head. "She's alive. She's all right." His gaze flicked back down to me, blue eyes meeting my dark brown ones. "Kathryn? Kathryn, can you hear me?"

I coughed, trying to slowly sit up. "Of course I can hear you. I'm not deaf."

"Kathryn!" I turned my head as I propped myself up on my elbows to see Erin standing nearby, and Legolas just behind her. "Oh, thank God," she muttered.

"What?" I asked, looking back and forth between them all. "What happened? And..." My eyes went wide with confusion again as I looked around. "...Where the hell are we?"

"Well...we're not at home. I can tell you that."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Erin." I tried to sit up even more, but my hand immediately flew to my head, and I hissed as I was attacked by a pounding headache. "Shit!" I swore. "I feel like I got run over!" I took a moment to adjust to the thumping pain at my temples, then slowly sat upright and opened my eyes to get a good look around. My eyes widened in fear as my brain began to make connections. "Oh my God... where's our house?!"

Sure enough, our modest little home was nowhere to be seen. In fact, we weren't even indoors anymore. I was sitting on cold, hard ground, cushioned only by a thin layer of crunchy, dry leaves. Everywhere I looked, there were trees, massive ones that twisted and tangled themselves together. Their branches spiraled upwards to impossible heights, and very few leaves still clung to their branches. Strange mosses and other things I couldn't identify clung to the bark, and the air itself was super muggy. Something strange nagged at me from the back of my mind...I recognized this place. It was vague, but I was sure I'd seen something like it before.

And then, peeking up through the top of the trees, I noticed something else. "It's sunset," I said, looking back to the others. My heart skipped a beat as the gears continued to turn in my head. "Did we...?"

Legolas nodded from a few feet away. "Welcome to Middle-Earth."

I was pretty sure my eyeballs were going to fall out of their sockets at this point. "No way! Seriously?"

"Yes," he nodded. "We are really here."

A grin began growing on my face. "Oh, good! We finally got you guys...home..." It dropped from my face just as quickly as it had come. "Wait! Why are Erin and I still here, then?"

Erin winced. "I...don't know, exactly. I'm thinking we weren't supposed to be holding hands with them when we opened the portal or something. Apparenly we got sucked in, too."

I blinked, trying to clear my head. "...Okay...Well, can we get back?"

Again, I saw an uneasy look cross her face. "That's the problem. One of many, at least. I have no idea where the stuff is. It looks like the only things that got transported here was whatever was on our bodies at the time."

"...So everything's gone? Meaning we can't go home?" She nodded, and I blanched. "Oh my God...What are we gonna do?! We're lost in Middle-Earth without any of our stuff!"

"Not entirely," Legolas cut in. I looked toward the elf, and his eyes sparkled a bit as he spoke. "I would know this forest anywhere. We just so happened to land in Mirkwood."

"Mirkwood?" My panic lessened slightly. "Oh! Great. You can get us out of here, then!"

"Well, yes," the elf replied, "but there are still several problems which we need to address. First of all, as Erin pointed out, we do not have any provisions for surviving in the wilderness. The fact that it is nearly dusk is also unsettling, as it means we will be stranded in the dark within the hour. And if there is one thing I have learned about this forest in my lifetime, it is to never underestimate its inhabitants."

I eyed him warily. "Inhabitants? You don't mean..." I trailed off, my fear slowly rising again.

Erin nodded. "Yes, Kathryn. Spiders."

"Among other creatures, I'm sure," Boromir added. I tensed, beginning to panic. I absolutely hated spiders, or any kind of bug for that matter. And the fact that I knew that these spiders were the size of a small bus horrified me even more. Shit. Shit shit SHIT. Not good. Very not good.

"Which leaves us with a decision to make," Erin went on, crossing her arms over her chest. "What do we do?"

All eyes turned to the blonde prince, relying on his expertise to get us out of this, and his blue eyes instantly turned to me. "More than anything, it is important that none of us are injured. Are you sure you are all right, Kathryn?"

I nodded, slowly standing up and brushing the leaves off of my butt. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a headache, but I guess you can expect that when you get dumped into a fantasy world."

He managed a small smile before continuing. "The second most imperative thing to do would be to secure a place of shelter. I doubt we will be able to get far at this time of day. These woods are especially dangerous at night," he said bitterly.

"Do you know where we are in Mirkwood?" Erin asked. "Like, is there a place nearby we could stay?"

His eyes flicked back and forth, assessing the area. "I do not know. I feel as if I have seen this place before, but...something is not quite right about it. The trees are...dead." I looked around, noticing it as well. The bark of these trees were grey and black-ish, giving the woods a sickly feel. It certainly wasn't very welcoming, at least.

Boromir nodded in agreement. "There is something strange about these trees," he said quietly. His eyes then locked on the elf as well. "Is there not an old fortress here that used to taint the woods with evil?"

Legolas' eyes had a steely look about them as Boromir mentioned the place. "Dol Guldur," he said lowly. "Sauron was driven out of the ruins years ago, but his servants have reclaimed it since. The forest never fully healed from his dark magic." He looked at a decayed tree nearby again. "I would imagine we are far to the south, close to the source of the forest's shadow."

"Damn," I muttered. "Is there anywhere at all that we can go?"

"I am not sure," he answered. "I would like to have a look around before the last of the sunlight slips away from us, though."

"Go for it," I shrugged. He nodded to us once, then quickly swung up into the nearest tree and began climbing op through the branches like a monkey. I watched for a moment as his golden head disappeared. Wow, okay Mr. Acrobat. Way to show off, I thought teasingly.

Suddenly, Erin gasped from beside me. "Oh no..."

I frowned. "What?"

She didn't seem to register that I'd said anything, her eyes going wide and her hand running through her short brown hair. "Oh shit...No!"

"Erin!" I said, finally catching her attention. "What is it? What's wrong."

Her hazel eyes met mine, fearful and panicky. "Kathryn, oh my God...What about the others? Kaia and them? Are they still on Earth? Are they here? And if so, how the hell are we going to find them?"

I gasped as well. "Oh no! Oh my God, I don't know! Erin, how are we gonna find them?"

Boromir placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't panic. We...we will find them...somehow." But even he faltered a bit, realizing the weight of the situation.

Just as I was about to speak again, a shout came from above us, and we looked up to see Legolas drop down to the ground again, a wild smile on his face as he looked at us. "You will not believe..." He laughed, practically glowing with happiness.

"What?" Boromir asked.

"We are not in such a dire situation, it would seem," he said. "I was wrong. We are far, far from Dol Guldur...this is the northern part of Mirkwood. And, more importantly, only a few hours away from my father's halls."

My jaw dropped. "No way. You're serious?"

He nodded. "I could see the Forest River from there," he said, "along with the mountain that the caves of the Woodland Realm are located in." He turned, glancing upwards and taking a few paces forward. "If we move quickly, we may be able to reach the gates before the storm hits us."

"Storm?" Boromir asked. I glanced over at Erin, noticing that she'd fallen silent.

Legolas turned back to us and nodded. "There are dark clouds on the horizon. I know this area well, however. There should be a hidden elf-path not far from here that will lead us to my father's halls. Come."

I glanced at my Gondorian friend as the elf started off. Unanimous decision, I guess. He ushered for me to go ahead so that he could take the back to protect us if needed, and I nudged Erin to get her moving as well. "Come on man, let's go! We're gonna go see the elves!"

At that, she seemed to snap out of her dazed trance. "What?"

"Didn't you hear Legolas?" I beamed. "We're close to Thranduil's halls!"

She blinked several times. "...No way. No way!" A huge smile lit up her face as she ran after the elf. "Holy crap, we're gonna see the elves! Oh my God! Legolas, wait up!"

oOo

Erin's POV

I shivered violently and pushed hair out of my face for what seemed like the millionth time that hour. 'Oh, we're gonna beat the storm there. Yeah, totally!' I swear to God, if he gets us lost or captured or something and we walked all this way for nothing...

Needless to say, I was grumpy. We'd made good headway for about an hour, but the storm had caught up to us much quicker than Legolas had thought. For a moment, we'd stopped, with Kathryn, Boromir and I protesting that we couldn't go tramping around a forest in this kind of weather, but Legolas had insisted that we press on. He'd tossed their Fellowship cloaks at Kathryn and I to help keep dry, but those had long since been soaked through, as was everything else I wore. Hair, shirt, socks, bra...you name it. I was wet.

And along with that, my patience for finding the halls of the elves was wearing thin. I had no doubt that Legolas was leading us in the right direction, don't get me wrong, I just... I wanted to get there quickly, and not just because of the rain. There was something wrong with these woods. The forest was sick, but even for Mirkwood it was unsettling. I knew it had been suffering for awhile, but it hadn't looked this bad in the movies. The trees were so...dead. Not just sick, but completely dead-looking.

I glanced ahead as I plodded along the muddy elf-path Legolas had found, catching a glimpse of the prince's blonde head not far off. "Legolas!" I shouted. He quickly turned and pressed a finger to his lips to silence me, and I swore under my breath. Great job, Erin. Let's try not alerting every spider in Mirkwood to our presence.

I mouthed an apology to him and picked up the pace, catching up to where he waited in a few seconds. "Trust me, Erin, being so close to my father's realm does not mean we are safe," he said lowly.

"I know, I know," I said. "Sorry. I just...I wanted to warn you. Something doesn't feel right."

He tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, like he often did when he was confused. "What do you mean?"

I paused, unsure how to answer him. "...I don't know," I said finally. "It's just...it's almost like it's too quiet, even for Mirkwood." He looked away, processing what I was saying. "I know you're excited to get home and all, but I'm still worried. About that, and Kaia and the others, too."

At the mention of them, he met my gaze again. "Do not worry, Erin. We will find out what happened to them somehow. I promise."

A large part of me questioned how that was even possible, but I plastered a fake smile on my face anyway. "Thanks." I fell into step beside him as we started moving again, Kathryn and Boromir now having caught up. Legolas lightly vaulted himself over a fallen tree that lay in our path, and I sucked in a breath as I lifted myself over it too. What I didn't expect was to land directly in a huge puddle on the other side, and my face went completely deadpan as the murky water soaked right through my red Converse and socks. "Watch out for puddles," I mumbled halfheartedly as Kathryn came over after me.

She just barely missed soaking herself in it, though she still wasn't much better off than I was in her black Toms. I continued walking, hearing her call to Legolas over my shoulder. "How close are we?"

"Not far," he replied. "I suspect we will reach the Forest River any moment now."

"Hey," I said, catching his attention again. He looked at me expectantly, and I thought about how to phrase my question without sounding offensive. "...Your father, is he...? Is he, uh... friendly?" I had seen Lee Pace do a flawless job with his character in The Hobbit, and of course I was expecting him to look the same as he did in the movie, but I was totally unprepared for how to approach the guy. At least, I assumed we'd have to talk to him when we got there.

"He does not take kindly to intruders," Legolas admitted with a shake of the head. "Though he may be a bit more sociable to you since I am in your company."

I nodded. "What about Kathryn and I specifically? What should we do?"

"Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that," she cut in from behind me. "He's probably gonna think we're strange for wearing pants, right?"

He chuckled at that. "Probably." On a more serious note, he went on. "But keep your cloaks tightly about you once we arrive. The less attention we draw to ourselves, the better."

I nodded again, then looked over my shoulder as Boromir came up to us. "What about you? You think he'll like you?"

The redheaded man shrugged. "I have not met King Thranduil before, but my father never spoke kindly of him, if at all." He glanced at Legolas, who showed no reaction. "I hope he is understanding, given our situation."

"That's just it, though," I sighed. "Our situation is hard to explain...and even harder to believe."

"He will have my word to trust," Legolas reassured us again. "You will be fine."

I said nothing, just kept walking forward and staring at my feet. The rain was still pouring down on us, dripping from my nose and hair, running into my eyes. At least it's not windy, I mused. It had gotten considerably darker and colder since we'd started off, though. Thinking about it made me shudder, and I pulled the sopping wet cloak tighter around me in a pointless attempt to protect me from the elements.

My mind began to wander again as we walked, landing on the subject of the Mirkwood elves again. I couldn't say that I wasn't excited. In fact, if we weren't walking through dangerous, cold, wet territory, I'd probably be bouncing my way down the path. No, I was excited to see the Woodland Realm. Seeing it in the movies alone had been amazing for me. It had been so beautiful...easily my favorite realm in Middle-Earth. And now I was getting to see it for myself!

I was also very intimidated by the thought of meeting the king, though. I loved Thranduil's character to death, but I was already expecting to feel unwelcome in his halls. He was known for being cold and possibly even heartless by many, not caring for anyone but himself and his own people. I doubted it was true, but still. I could've been wrong. And then there was one other elf in Mirkwood that I was nervous about meeting...even more than Thranduil himself. Well, nervous isn't the word for it. Displeased fits way better. I was about to roll my eyes out of contempt, but stopped myself. Might as well save it. There'll be plenty of eye-rolling once we meet, I'm sure.

Suddenly, I was jerked from my thoughts as I felt my foot catch on an errant root sticking out of the ground. My eyes widened as I registered what was happening, and my arms flailed wildly to try and catch myself, but that failed. I cringed as I faceplanted into the wet, muddy ground.

"Erin!" I heard a shout and groaned as I picked myself up. "Are you all right?" A hand touched my arm, and I grabbed onto Boromir as he helped me stand again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I said. I looked down, frowning as I stared at the mud and leaves that were now splattered all over me. A sigh escaped my lips as I trudged forward again. "Absolutely fantastic." Whatever. The mud never bothered me anyway, I guess.

Despite what had just happened, I somehow got lost in my thoughts again two seconds later, and probably would've walked right off a cliff if Legolas hadn't shot an arm out and caught me. I blinked and looked down at the raging river far below. "...Oh. Sorry."

He didn't say anything at first, just looked at me with a brilliant smile on his face. "Erin...look. We are here."

My eyes widened, all the complaints of the weather that'd been rolling around in my head vanishing as I looked past him to what lay across the gap. Even in the darkness, I could pick out the smooth stone bridge leading over to what could only be the entrance to Thranduil's realm. Great stone pillars that looked woven together stood strong and tall, framing the equally massive teal doors that led into the mountain where the elves lived. The remainder of the elven path led along the cliff's edge, down to the main walkway that connected to the bridge across the water. There were a few flickering torches as well, just enough to provide light on the stone landing where guards stood watch.

I heard the faint gasps of Kathryn and Boromir as they came up behind us, also seeing our destination up ahead. "Thank God," the former breathed in relief. I could feel the excitement beginning to buzz inside me as Legolas took off down along the river's edge, motioning for us to follow. My thoughts of anything else were completely gone now as we approached the end of the road and the guards caught sight of us, shouting out orders in elvish for us to stop and state our business in the forest.

Legolas raised his hands in response, showing he meant no harm. "Avo drasto, mellon! Gwannas lû ad, si iston i nívedh." (Do not worry, friend! A long time has passed, but I know your face.)

"What's he saying?" Kathryn whispered.

"He's telling them we're okay to be here," I said, roughly translating the elvish in my head. I knew some, but not much. As we drew closer, I took a deep breath and prepared for the inevitable. Here goes nothing.

A/N: And another book begins. Bonus points if you catch the reference Erin makes in this chapter. ;)

If you're new to my stories and haven't read part one of this, READ THAT FIRST! You'll be much less confused, I promise you. C: And if you've been eagerly awaiting the second installment of this shorter series...congratulations. You got it. C:

Again, thank you all so so much for the support you've given me with this fic so far. I'd be nowhere if not for you. :) And happy (belated) birthday to Kathryn again, who somehow managed to put up with me and be my best friend for a third miraculous year. Hope you enjoy the rest of this crazy adventure, my dear~

-Erin