Her long dark chestnut hair was tied in a messy ponytail. She put her iPhone in the sweatband that was clinging on her upper arm. Her brand-new running shoes were soilless, because they never had accompanied her before on the long and filthy track she ran every day. She heaved a sigh as she forced herself to stand up from her bed and glanced in the mirror that was hanging on the wall before her. Her brows knitted together as she studied her face. Pale blue eyes stared back, the lack of sparkles in them betraying how tired she was. Maybe she should abandon her running routine, just this once... The shit Jason put her through the last few weeks had been devastating for her physical well-being, not to mention the mental struggles she had to cope with. She shook her head and turned away.
'What the hell.' she muttered, angry at herself for wailing in self-pity again. 'Maybe the forest will give me back my sanity.' Before she could change her mind, she quickly stumbled down the stairs. When she got to the back door and saw the pile of dishes in her kitchen, she reminded herself that she really needed to get herself together. It was one thing to mourn for the loss off her first love, but she could not allow herself to completely lose her mind once again. She had been there five years ago and it nearly killed her. When Jason finally got back to her, a place where he belonged (so he said), she had turned around completely and got back on her feet as quick as she could.
Because after all, he needed her. She would have been no use for him if she remained a broken grieving mess... Well, that's at least what she told herself all those years ago.
But last month… She shrugged, opened the back door and slipped outside. She made her way to her backyard and paused for a moment at the clearing where her yard ended and the woods began. She knew this forest well; the beautiful trees had comforted many times before. She could only hope they would this time. They had to.
Her breathing became heavy as she ran down the well-known track. Her iPhone played her favorite playlist, a mix between pop music and metal. A smile went across her face. Whenever she discussed the topic favorite music genres with someone, her collocutor was suprised to hear she loved both. Although most of the time she was amused by these reactions, lately she found herself getting a bit annoyed because of it. She grew tired of explaining how a little, cute-looking female like herself could possibly appreciate metal artists like the agonist and nightwish. How on earth did her 150 centimeters tall body become a predictor for her music taste? She swallowed and pushed herself to pick up the pace. No one should ever tell someone how to live their life. Just like Jason… He had controlled her and she allowed him... She grunted and tried to push the thought away, but it lingered in the back of her mind. She knew she was punishing herself for the past, for things that she couldn't change, but it was hard not to.
'Yes!' she cheered when her iPhone started playing 'Engine 45' from the band the ghost inside and took a sprint.
'IT'S SO HARD FOR ME, SEEING LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!' she screamed along with the singer. The beat drummed in the air and she rushed past the trees. She smiled when she realized her new shoes fit her feet perfectly. This made running a hell of a lot easier!
Because she was day-dreaming about her new fantastic shoes, she was caught off guard by the enormous tree root she stumbled on.
'Oh god damn it!' she cursed when she found herself flying toward the hard soil. Damned gravity. How was this possible anyway? There were no tree roots on her track, she never noticed it before. This thing seemed impossible to miss... Was it? She readied herself for the hard smack she was about to make. This one would hurt...
But there was no ground. The air was pushed out her lungs and she screamed desparately as she kept falling through darkness.
What was happening? Did she fall asleep in her bed and never started running in the first space? Was this a dream? A nightmare? She yelled when the darkness suddenly changed in a very bright light. Was she dying?
A fierce pain shot through her back and she groaned. At last gravity had put an end to her dead-fall. The green grass beneath her was soft to the touch. Her hands shook heavily as she tried to push herself upwards. Her whole body ached and protested against her movements as she slowly she scrambled herself together. She looked around and found herself in a completely different surroundings. Well... she was in fact still a forest, but the dark green pines she had passed seconds ago, were replaced by a bright open spot in the middle of a thick forest. The sun shone weakly through the trees and the air smelled like an early spring day. The bushes were a rich green color, some of them already blossoming. No, this couldn't be... It had been autumn when she left her house. She frowned when she realized she had no idea where she was. She couldn't have ran off her track, could she?
'Shit' she muttered. What should she do now? She braced herself when she heard branches cracking on the other side of the open spot. She shuffled behind a bush and watched curiously as two figures appeared. A deep shudder went through her as her mind almost immediately identified them.
Orcs.
They had a somewhat green ill-looking skin and bright blue fishy eyes. Their clothes were filthy, but it didn't seem to bother them. She could detect the foul odor they carried with them. They were creatures designed for a sole purpose: to kill and destroy.
'I'm sure I heard screams' said the smallest of the two. He was bald and had his lip pierced a few times.
'I don't see anything' the other one growled. An enormous bulge around his waist nearly made the belt, which was holding together his clothing, burst. 'We should return to our master, before he makes us dinner for the wargs'
He turned around and disappeared behind the trees. The small orc stood still and sniffed with his filthy nose in the air.
'I don't recall this scent' he said and walked right at the bush where she sat.
'Come on!' bellowed the fat orc from the forest. She could not see him anymore, but the smallest orc was far too close for her liking. She tried to keep as still as she could. The orc looked around and shrugged. She held her breath as he turned around and too disappeared on the other side of the forest.
'Thank god for that' she whispered while making a mental note never to wear distinctive perfume again.
She just wanted to get up when all of a sudden one strong arm locked itself around her abdomen while the hand from the other arm kept her mouth firmly shut. She wanted to kick and scream for help, but her assailant was much more stronger than she was. He dragged her away from the open spot, into the foliage. Well, this made all the martial arts classes she took, quite useless. She gasped with surprise when her assailant finally let her go and pushed her against a tree. She wanted to scream, to defend herself fiercely, but when she looked into the eyes of her attacker, she went numb.
'What the hell were you doing?' he whispered furiously. 'Gundabad orcs are NO joke. They would have killed you in an instant.'
'I…' she said, helplessly searching for words. This could not be. It could not be him. But the piercing blue eyes, characteristic nose, rough long dark brown locks and carefully trimmed beard could hardly belong to any other male she visualized whilst reading.
Oh and he was beyond gorgeous.
Was she dreaming?
'And what are you wearing?' he asked while regarding her with curiosity. 'This... clothing... hardly seems fit for traveling. That is, if a lady like you is really traveling.'
'Oh, for fuck's sake' she muttered.
'What?' he said.
She gave him a little smile as she tried to process what was happening to her. This had to be him... But he couldn't... He was a character in a BOOK, not a living and breathing being. She heaved a sigh and decided she should give her theory a try anyway.
'This, sir Oakenshield, is my running outfit. I was running to clear my head, not to encounter some LARPing event where suddenly I am threatened by some orcs and the son of Thraín, son of Thrór.'
He frowned and looked at her, clearly puzzled. 'How do you know who I am?'
'Well… doesn't everyone know you?' she answered.
He smiled. 'I supposed not in these lands.'
'Well… maybe if you found yourself deep into the rain forests of West-Africa, but around here in New York you are quite known.' A shiver went through her body and she looked down. Great, her running short was hardly covering her bottom. And wherever she was, it was damn cold here. 'Can you guide me out of this bloody forest?' she continued, 'I really want to go home.'
He didn't answer, but instead just stared at her. After a few moments he seemed to regain his consciousness and he asked: 'New York?'
He pronounced the syllables carefully. To her it almost sounded like he never used the name of her hometown before.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. 'This is hardly funny anymore. I told you, I had no intention running into a LARPing event! So could you please just break character for a moment and tell me where-'
'Larping?' he interrupted while he let the sound of the word rolling on his tongue.
'It is an event where you engage in a fantasy play and re-enact stories from Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter, whatever you like.' she answered, getting more frustrated by the minute.
'Fantasy play…?' he repeated and then chuckled. 'I have no idea what you are talking about.'
'Oh dear god!' she muttered. 'Never mind. Just tell me where I am.'
'The shire.' He said and studied her face as he awaited her reaction.
'You're serious?!' She narrowed her eyes and looked intently at him to see if he mocked her. But she only saw genuine concern.
'Yes. We are on the border of the shire. It worries me that orcs dare to venture in this land.'
She sat down at the root of the tree and watched her shoes. 'Tell me this isn't a cruel joke. One moment I am running and-' She suddenly remembered her phone, which was still on her arm. She grabbed it and stared at the screen.
No reception.
'Where am I?' she murmured.
'I don't mean to be rude, but what are you?' asked Thorin Oakenshield as he watched her tuck her phone away in the tiny pocket in her shorts.
She arched a brow. 'Human.'
'You are quite short for a human.'
'And you are a bit too tall to be a dwarf, aren't you?'
Thorin Oakenshield smiled. 'You seem to know much about me, yet I have no idea who you are. What's your name, human?'
She tilted her head and calculated if this man really was the Thorin Oakenshield she imaged him to be. Indeed, he was somewhat tall for a dwarf. Yet, he had the broad masculine body that dwarves supposed to have. He looked very masculine, with strong musclular arms and big sturdy hands. She wondered what he would look like without all the heavy armor he was wearing. She bit her lip and tried not to blush.
'Enya' she said. 'Enya Blueheart'
'And where are you from, Enya?' he asked softly.
'You would not believe it if I told you.' She laughed. 'I think I come from some alternate universe. I went out for a run and I ended up here, in middle earth I suppose?'
He nodded shortly and regarded her with suspicion. 'You obviously dress…'
He didn't finish his sentence, but the way he watched her was clear and Enya felt the sudden need to apologize for her provocative appearance. She shrugged. 'I suppose in this world you could call it inappropriately short. But believe me, in my world this is common.' She sighed. 'I guess if I don't want to stand out, I should find some suitable clothes for this environment.'
She stood up and started walking, with actually no idea where she should go. 'Well,' she mumbled. 'Middle earth or not, it's clear that I am screwed.'
'You are what?' she heard behind her.
Enya giggled. 'I'm trying to say I have nowhere to go. AND I have no idea what I should do next.'
Thorin grinned. 'Then you should come with me.'
'And where were you going?' she asked.
He didn't answer and made a sign that she should follow him. Enya frowned. All right. She went from taking a long run in the forest to a field trip with Thorin Oakenshield himself. Not that she was complaining. She smiled. As she had no idea why she ended up in middle earth and how she was able to go home, she decided that she should make the most out of this experience. Besides, she really wanted to know more about this dwarf... And she might even get to know his nephews... If they existed in this reality.
'Hurry up!' Thorin's husky voice startled her and she took a sprint to catch up.
'Now I can see why few clothing would come in handy' he mused.
Enya laughed. 'May I remind you that I am a woman from an alternate universe who is not afraid of telling you the truth when you say or do anything inappropriate? I will beat the crap out of you.'
Thorin turned around to face her. 'You are quite bold.'
'Are you not used to that?' she purred.
Thorin smirked at her before he walked further. 'I might. If you were from my kin, I would-'
'Good thing I am not then' Enya winked.
She bit her lip when she heard him chuckling while he walked away.
This could be damn interesting...