Caia's eyes felt heavy. Her chest heaved as she breathed in deeply, trying to fight off the sleep that was hanging onto her.
Immediately, the ache in Caia's back became apparent as she stretched slightly, kicking something as she did.
Caia frowned, opening her eyelids through a fog of exhaustion.
She was laying outside.
Suddenly alarmed, Caia quickly sat up, eyes scanning her unfamiliar surroundings.
She was nestled between two tall trees, the bark having scratched slightly at her arms during her race to stand up. Barefooted, Caia took a few steps around, bringing a hand up to her head as a wave of dizziness caused her to stumble slightly.
"Mom?" She called, her small voice bouncing back to her.
With wide eyes, Caia turned her head.
Trees.
Where is this?
"Hello?" She called again, louder this time.
Caia's heart was beginning to thunder with panic. Her breathing became labored. The sun was setting in the distance, and all that she could hear was the singing of insects hidden around her.
How did I get here?
With terror coursing through her veins, Caia began to walk, unable to stand still.
How could she have ended up in a forest?
Shivering underneath her thin t-shirt and sweatpants, Caia rubbed her arms as goosebumps prickled her skin.
Since when was it this cold in July?
Caia opened her mouth, ready to call out again, when the trees in front of her became suddenly sparse. As she pushed her way through the branches, her feet stepped onto a dirt path.
Caia looked down both ways with a sliver of hope but was quickly shot down.
There was nothing but trees on both side of the path, which seemed to go on endlessly in both directions.
Something about the cold air and darkening skies brought another chill up Caia's back and she shuddered, picking a direction and following the path.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered aloud, trying to furiously blink away the oncoming tears that pooled in her eyes. "There's no forests like this anywhere near home."
Her mind struggled to wrap itself around her situation, attempting to make sense of Caia waking up in a forest that she did not know.
"I don't even have my phone on me."
As Caia sunk into her own mind, a screech suddenly pierced into her ears.
Caia jumped as her hands shot up over her ears and she whipped around, going completely stiff with fear.
What the fuck-?
Caia's chest heaved as she struggled to take in breath, even after the screech had ended.
There was a distinct sound, almost like deep thunder approaching Caia. A dark horse rounded the corner with its cloaked rider.
Caia froze, eyes widening.
The rider had no face.
It seemed to be wearing metal gloves that spiked at the fingertips, and it pulled on the reins, stopping the horse a few feet away from Caia.
Something about what she was seeing was eerily familiar.
The air was too thick to breathe, and Caia took a shaky step back.
A low hiss, like a whisper, drawled out of the horse suddenly began to move again, stepping towards Caia.
It was as if lightning struck, and Caia could suddenly move again.
She turned on her heel, bolting back into the forest. The horse followed behind her, the sound of its hooves hitting the dirt ground sending Caia's already frenzied heartbeat into a panic.
Caia couldn't help the mangled yell that escaped her lips as she continued to navigate her way between trees, only to be followed. A darkness was trying to latch itself onto her, its slippery fingers brushing against Caia's legs.
I've seen it before.
Another screech sounded, this time clearly from the creature behind her.
Caia screamed over it, covering her ears with rigid hands.
As she suddenly emerged onto another path, another black horse galloped towards her from the front, causing Caia to stumble to a stop, blood freezing in her veins.
Behind the horse was a fence, and beyond the fence was a body of water.
"This way! Over the fence!"
Just as Caia registered the voice, a hand grabbed onto her arm tightly, yanking her out of the way of the second rider.
"Come on!"
Fire coursed through her body and Caia clumsily ran behind the person who had pulled her away, following them over the fence. Her lungs burned with the effort that it took for her to continue running, and her wrist was grabbed again by the same person, who continued to lead her down a dock, on which two other people already stood, yelling loudly as they rowed a raft away from the dock.
Caia's confusion wasn't as great as her panic, and she allowed herself to be pushed onto the raft, though she stumbled, falling to her knees with a gasp.
The raft began to move.
The other three were still yelling.
"Mr. Frodo!"
"Hurry!"
"Jump!"
One more figure jumped off of the dock, landing on the raft, which rocked with the sudden addition of weight. Caia stared past him with wide eyes.
Four dark riders were perched atop horses that skidded to a stop at the edge of the dock. Faceless, they stared after the raft.
"How far to the nearest crossing?" One of the figures asked, voice shaking with fear.
"Brandywine Bridge- 20 miles."
Caia stared at them, eyes wide. She was the only one still stting.
Brandywine Bridge-?
Where is that?
A strange noise echoed from the riders as they turned, galloping off down the road again.
All went quiet.
Caia's heart thumped so loudly she was sure that everyone else could hear it, too. Still frozen in fear, she continued to stare at the dock, which was now empty.
"Wait- who are you?"
Caia's head snapped up, eyes locking on the person who had spoken. He stared down at her, a mop of curly hair atop his head. Caia couldn't make much else out through the darkness.
Four pairs of eyes suddenly landed on her, and she struggled to speak.
"Uh- I-"
"One of the riders was chasin' her," another spoke, saving Caia from her miserable attempt at speaking. "So I pulled her with me."
It was as if she was the only one with absolutely no idea what was going on. Caia suddenly felt singled out, and she managed to force words out of her mouth.
"I- Where am I?"
After a short silence, her question was answered.
"Buckleberry Ferry. Are you alright?" The person who had spoken kneeled down next to her, laying a gentle hand atop her shoulders. "You're not hurt, are you?"
Caia shook her head.
"Well, we're headed to Brie," the same guy said, removing his hand.
She wasn't quite sure how to respond.
Suddenly, Caia went still.
Oh, fuck.
I can't be-?
"Okay," she quickly spoke, only to go silent again.
Lord of the Rings?
If you made it this far, congratulations! Beginnings are not my forte, so I hope this isn't too awkward. I can promise you that the next chapter is much more structured than this. It's also much longer. This is more of a prologue than a chapter.
I was rewatching the LOTR series and wondered- what would I do if I was in the story, as someone who is a sheltered 21st century American? So I just started writing.
This is NOT a self-insert, though. Caia is not a real person, and she is nothing like me, but I want her to be realistic. I want her to grow throughout the story.
Let me know what you thought with a review! I'd appreciate the feedback. :)
Thanks for reading!