Disclaimer: All LOTR characters, dialogues and plot belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. However, all OCs belong to me, so does the story plots that are extensions from LOTR.
I have written based on the movie as it is easier for me to visualize and quicker for me to finish this story. If I was to re-read the book again, this story perhaps may never come out at all. For a better visualization, you can search for Melinda May or Ming-Na Wen as I have chosen her to portray Josh. I wanted someone who looked mature enough to be a mother of two. Melinda May's looks fit the profile. Besides she's Asian, which is who Josh is. We just have to change her clothing to fit Middle Earth. Bear with me that it takes a while to get to where Josh meets Thranduil.
Italics are thoughts.
1. Middle Earth
As of late, Josh had been addicted to watching Lord of the Rings (LOTR) on scene selection replay on YouTube. It wasn't the first time she had watch the trilogy. She had been re-watching some scenes whenever she had the time. Being a mother of two, especially when her youngest was only eight months old didn't really give her much time. However, much of her time for the last two weeks had been spent on day dreaming about being in Middle Earth. While she had watched The Hobbit trilogy, she was not so hook up on them. The only character that intrigued her, besides Legolas, was Thranduil, the Elven King. Her obsession for LOTR had gone to the point where as soon as she closed her eyes, the story bloomed behind her eye lids until she fell asleep.
Like her usual evening routine since her son was born, she breastfed her son to sleep. Her five years old daughter was at her mother-in-law's place in Quebec for the holidays. Her husband was out for the night celebrating his friend's successful migration to Canada. She usually preferred to sleep with a nursing sleep bra and boy shorts but for some unknown reason, she felt conscious of her sleeping attire that evening. It was an odd feeling that compelled her to put on more clothing than usual. She put on a black long legging and a grey dry fit t-shirt. As soon as she closed her eyes, her imagination ran wild again. Sometimes she couldn't differentiate whether she was imagining or dreaming. Eventually, she fell asleep.
Josh felt her body was floating but not like in the water, more of suspended in the air. She could not open her eyes as her body felt very lethargic. She fell back into unconsciousness thinking she was dreaming. It did not last for she suddenly felt as if gravity had pulled her into the ground. She woke with a start, eyes staring wide but not focusing. The ground underneath her felt damp. When the mist in her eyes cleared and she could focus, she found herself staring at leaves and huge barks of trees. Wait, what? Trees?
Last she recalled she was sleeping in her bed and breastfeeding his son. That struck a chord of panic in her. She pushed herself up from the ground to fully look at her surroundings. WHERE IS MY SON!? Her thoughts were filled with horrifying conclusions. Not even bothering the fact that she was in the jungle.
Josh was not a frantic person. She always had a calm demeanor even when she felt like the panic bubble was going to burst inside her. Just as she was about to take a step to search for him, a man sprang out from the bush in front of her and pointed an arrow at her. She stared widely at the man with long ebony hair and pointed ears. Automatically, she raised both her hands as a signal of surrender. Wait, pointed ears?
"Ledhiach o man sad?" the man asked.
She looked confused for the language was not unfamiliar. She had heard of it from somewhere. The odd pointed ears the man possessed also made her mind whirl. Then, it finally dawned on her when she put the familiar language and pointed ears together.
"I don't understand Sindarin that well. Mi van me?" asked Josh, even though she had a vague idea of her whereabouts. Glad I was attempting to learn Sindarin before. She didn't recognize the elf in front of him.
Suddenly, another person sprang out from the same bush behind the elf that was pointing an arrow at her. They looked identical. That was when she figured out who they were. She heard the other elf shout "Elladan! Orch!". If she had doubts earlier, the name and word indefinitely confirmed her current location. Middle Earth…
Before she could process the information, Elladan swept her up and started sprinting towards another direction.
"Hey! Put me down!" yelled Josh.
Even in protest, her arms had automatically wound around the elf's neck to support herself from flailing.
"Not unless you have a death wish, my lady," responded Elladan in haste.
They came across an enormously huge tree. The largest she had ever seen in her life. Elladan leaped up to a thick branch high above on the tree. It looked such an easy feat for him to just jump around even with her in his arms.
"Stay here until we come back. Make no sound," said Elladan as he let her down.
In a blurred movement, both elves went missing. She leaned against the trunk and let out a breath. Left alone, she was granted a few moments for her mind to catch up with the fact that she had just woken up in a fictional world. It was like a dream come true for she had been imagining being in Middle Earth for the last few weeks.
Realization dawned on her the reality of being thrown into Middle Earth. Questions plagued her mind for she worried if she would ever return to her world. What of her children? Regardless of her obsession with LOTR, her children are her world. Middle Earth was only ever a fantasy in her dreams.
The rustle of leaves followed by heavy footsteps broke her out of her thoughts. A creature as dark as a coal, revealed himself and trudged into the clearing below her. Fear coursed through her after recognizing the creature. Orc…
She pressed herself against the trunk, wishing it would just eat her up and hide her. I hope orcs cannot sense fear… Right as she finished her thought, the orc turned his head up to look at her direction. She cursed under her breath.
"Blast my rotten luck!" muttered Josh.
The filthy creature roared at her and started to climb the tree. While not as graceful as Elladan, the orc was still efficient at clawing his way up. It would be a horror if he could leap like the elf. She looked around her and spotted a tree vine as thick as a rope further away at the end of the branch she was on. However, it did not give her an assurance that she would escape unscathed for she didn't know where she was going to swing herself to. Better being butchered by an orc, I guess.
She ran to the vine and grabbed it as tight as she could. Going a few steps backwards, she hauled her weight forward and swung herself across. Across to where!? Fuck!
Right before the momentum was going to swing her back to the tree, she saw a branch across her. It was a distance and she wasn't sure if she would make it. Again, better than being orc slave or worse…
She flung her body forward and released her grip, hoping she would be able to grab on the branch. To her surprise, she did manage to grab onto the branch. But her hands were sweating due to all the adrenaline rush, she slipped. It better be a dream now else it's going to hurt like a bitch.
Before she hit the ground, she heard the sound of hooves and felt herself in the arms of an elf.
"You are blessed by Valar for me to catch you in time," said the elf.
"Elladan?"
The elf laughed and continued to ride off.
"Elrohir, my lady. What's your name?" asked Elladan's twin.
Elrohir heard her mutter "twins" and chuckled.
"Call me Josh," she replied then attempted the foreign language on her tongue. "Le hannon."
Elrohir laughed causing her to blush in embarrassment.
"Your pronunciations may need some practice, Lady Josh," said Elrohir as the mirth stayed in his eyes.
"At least I tried," she huffed.
She adjusted herself so she could ride in front of the elf. The position made her feel slightly embarrassed for it felt intimate. Sensing her discomfort, Elrohir initiated their conversation as she tried to push away the embarrassment.
"We're close to the city border of Imladris. Where are you from?" asked Elrohir.
She took a moment and wondered if he would think she was crazy but decided to be truthful.
"I'm not from Middle Earth. Well, I guess you already know that judging from my attire. I came from another world called Earth where I live in Edmonton, Canada," she replied and watched as Elrohir scrunched up his brow in thought.
"I definitely have not heard of the place. Let's get you to my father and decide what to do from there," said Elrohir and she silently nodded, uncertain of her existence in this world.
"Where's Elladan?" she asked, suddenly recalled about the other elf that she first met.
"He's clearing up the remaining orcs in the forest and will meet us back with the other guards," replied Elrohir.
She felt relief and confused of her own concern for the twins, as if she felt a kinship to them.
They were quiet throughout the journey back to Rivendell. The lack of conversation allowed Josh to dwell on her situation. She had so many questions regarding her existence being in Middle Earth. As much as she wanted to stay, she also missed her children terribly. Elrohir nudged her from her thoughts.
"Welcome to Imladris, the elven house of Elrond," announced Elrohir as they crossed the bridge into Rivendell.
She stared at the architecture and scenery before her in awe.
"Incredibly beautiful," was all she could utter.
Elrohir smiled at her reaction. It was common for mortals who have never seen elven homes. He stopped his horse and helped her to unmount. She received curious glances from the elves they passed by.
"Do not mind them, Lady Josh. We do not often have visits from strangers besides our brother, Estel. Not to mention, you don't look like any mortals we've seen in Middle Earth. Your features are unique and differentiates you from any known mortal races," explained Elrohir.
She recognized 'Estel' as the other given name to Aragorn but kept quiet and just nodded softly. As soon as they reached the Hall of Fire, Elrohir called out "Adar! Adar!". Lord Elrond appeared from one of the archways and glanced at her before looking back at his son. They spoke in Sindarin which she didn't understand except when she heard her name from Elrohir. He must have told his father that she only speaks the common tongue.
"Lady Josh, my son informed me that you are not of this world," said Lord Elrond and she nodded.
"Yes, where I come from, Middle Earth is but a story about the hobbit and… the ring," she said carefully not wanting to spill too much information in case it was a still a secret.
Lord Elrond's eyebrows rose and caught her hidden meaning.
"I believe we may need to discuss this in private. Before that, we shall allow you some rest," replied Lord Elrond as he gestured for an attendant to come.
Suddenly, she felt tired and underdressed when she stared at her bare feet. The attendant, a female elf, led her to a room where a bath was drawn for her.
"I do not speak much Sindarin and do not know if you understand the common tongue but le hannon," she said to the elf attending to her.
"I do speak the common tongue, my lady," replied the attendant as she smiled at her.
Josh sighed in relief.
"You don't know how relief that is. My name is Josh, what is your name?" she asked.
"Elanil, my lady."
Josh frowned at the title.
"Please, just call me Josh when no royalty is around," she said as Elanil smiled warmly at her.
Once she finished her bath, she grimaced at seeing the dress laid out on the bed.
"Elanil, do you perhaps have a dark legging and long sleeve tunic?" she asked.
Elanil looked at her oddly.
"That's usually for male elves or female guards," replied Elanil.
"Perhaps a female guard clothing will suffice?" she asked in return.
Elanil nodded softly and went out to get the clothing for her. Once she was dressed, Elanil led her to a room which she later knew as Lord Elrond's study. In the room were Lord Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir. They were surprised to see her in female guard attire.
"Is the dress not suffice, Lady Josh?" asked Lord Elrond. She quickly shook her head.
"No, no, I am just more used to wearing leggings from where I come from," she said.
Lord Elrond nodded accepting her answer even though he found it strange.
"I believe you have met both of my sons," said Lord Elrond.
"I apologize for raising my bow against you. These are dark times and you managed to bypass our border patrols which cause suspicion at the beginning but now I understood from my brother that you were actually not from this world, which makes more sense," explained Elladan.
Josh waved her hand off signaling it was alright.
"Will you tell us more about the story you mention about the hobbit and the ring from your world?" asked Lord Elrond.
She launched into a summary of the hobbit and when it came to the ring she said it was about the journey of a fellowship that will be form to destroy the ring.
"You know, I cannot tell you exactly what happened. I can only assure you it is an optimistic conclusion," she said, hoping they would understand her reasoning.
"The fellowship is not form yet as of now but has been brought up among the elven lords and a wizard. But I believe in time, it will be as what you called it, the fellowship. Perhaps you will be able to see your involvement more clearly by then," said Lord Elrond.
She grimaced at Lord Elrond's implications.
"I am not quite sure what of my purpose being here," she replied.
Lord Elrond smiled at her.
"Patience, my child. Only time will tell," replied Lord Elrond.
She paused for a moment and they stared at her curiously waiting for her response.
"In that case, anyone wants to start training me in wielding a sword and bow? I am useless at them as of now."
Both Elladan and Elrohir laughed.
TBC
Ledhiach o man sad? - Where are you (coming) from?
Mi van me? - Where are we?