This might be a Mary Sue (I'm not sure what, exactly, the qualifications are) but rest assured, is not your typical 'girl goes to Middle Earth, girl falls in love with (insert handsome LoTR character).' Romance develops later on in the story, much later.
I finally did it. Never thought it would happen. But here it is, my first chapter of the first fanfic story that I actually intend to complete. Just a note to any potential reviewers, I will be actively editing this story as mistakes and inconsistencies are pointed out to me. So, I encourage you to be critical. While I might not always follow suggestions, I will certainly read and consider all of them. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to tell me what you thought of my story.
Sorry it's so short, but there is more to come!
Chapter 1: Awakening
A young woman moaned softly in the darkness of the night. 'Ugh,' she thought to herself as she rolled over. 'I gotta get rid of this lumpy mattress.' She was just settling back into a deep slumber when something wet dripped onto her forehead.
"Huh?" she groaned, and sleepily brought up her hand to wipe the moisture away. But to her disgust, she discovered that whatever it was on her face was thick and mucous-like in consistency.
"Gross!" she exclaimed. Now fully awake, she began to rise, but froze in terror at what she saw looming over her. It was a giant spider with fangs dripping and pale, bulbous multiple eyes reflecting her own terrified face. What was more, she was not in any place she recognized but in the midst of a deep, dark forest with dense cobwebs stretched between the trees.
The spider laughed in a thin, hissing voice that finally snapped the girl out of her stupor. She frantically scrambled backwards away from the creature. An effort made more difficult by the fact that she had been poisoned and her legs had been bound with the spider's strong, sticky thread while she had been sleeping. The creature did not attempt to follow her.
"What kind of nightmare is this?" she whispered to herself as her back came into contact with a thick, tree trunk and she could flee no further.
"A nightmare!" she exclaimed. "It must be a nightmare! These spiders are just like in The Hobbit. I've just been reading too much Tolkein."
"Wake up," she ordered herself in a harsh whisper and closed her eyes and took a deep, ragged breath, willing herself awake. After a time, she opened one eye, only to see that her surroundings had not changed, the giant spider regarding her curiously.
"Wake up!" she cried aloud and thrust her head into her hands, rocking herself back and forth in a panicked desperation.
"What have we here?" said a creaky voice from above.
The young woman looked up just in time to see another spider leap down upon her from the trees. It impaled her left shoulder with one of its thin, hairy legs, the force of the blow knocking the back of her head into the trunk of the tree behind her, sending her into merciful oblivion.
The first thing she was aware of was a great fiery pain in her shoulder. It was the worst pain she had ever felt in her life, worse even than the time she had broken her arm after falling from her horse while she was first learning to canter.
Her ears detected unearthly voices in conversation thought she could only make out the odd word.
"Good job . . . sister."
"Lucky . . . been ages."
". . . girl-flesh . . ."
"Feast . . ."
She slowly became aware that she was being dragged across the damp ground. 'What on earth is going on?' she wondered to herself. Her eyes fluttered open but at first she did not recognize what her eyes saw. She groaned in pain and suddenly the dragging sensation ceased.
"It wakesss!" she heard a strange voice hiss.
She felt herself being lifted out from under an odd looking fat, bulbous shape. Then her memory raced back to her. 'The spiders!' she realized, just as she was pulled up level with the spider's grotesque face.
"Mmm," it said. "You look delicious."
"Juicy, no doubt!" said another. "And tender."
"You must be careful, it won't take much hanging until she's done," warned one more.
The young woman slowly shook off her shock as the spiders continued to discuss how to properly prepare her for eating. They were all quite absorbed in the debate and so did not notice that her right hand slid into her pocket, where she found her Swiss Army knife. 'Thank God for small favours,' she thought to herself wryly as she struggled to open it one handed. She bit down hard on her lip to keep herself from crying out when she fumbled and cut herself on it.
She took in a deep but ragged breath. 'Eat me, will you?' she thought to herself. 'Not without a fight.' Silently she struck out, sinking her tiny knife deep into the eye of the spider who so foolishly held her so close to its face.
The spider shrieked an ear shattering squeal of pain and just as the girl raised her knife for another blow, an arrow flew out from the trees and, grazing her arm in the process, neatly severed the leg of the spider that had held aloft. With a strangled cry, the girl crashed to the ground. Pain exploded in her left shoulder, her vision blacked out and then she knew no more.