Arial
Chapter One
Headaches and Peace
by Bethuviel
Disclaimer: The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing The Lord of The Rings. I receive no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site.
Author's note: All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated.
Warning: This story is written for fun. My brain is fried from all the serious rewriting of a series of mine and I need a break. This is an original female character I have made up and is not based on any real person. This is not a Mary-Sue, self insert, tenth walker or secret following walker. She will not participate in or alter the quest. She may interact with some of the characters, but this is not a love story. She does not have secret super duper powers given to her by the Valar, nor has any prophesy been stashed away about her only to be revealed by an all knowing elf or wizard. Nor has any destiny been written for her by the Valar. I do not intend to "mess around with canon". But I do intend to have some fun. So let's get on with it.
May or may not get beta'd. Wendy's been pretty busy with my other stuff, and writing some new stuff too. I'd like to recommend her new series: "Artire's Choice", "Artire's Return", and "Artire's Revenge".
oOo
Arial had a headache, but unlike any ordinary headache she had previously experienced. The pain shot through her temples, eyes, sinuses, and traveled down her neck exploding like fireworks through her nervous system. She labored with every breath she felt forced to take. "Death would feel better," her mind whispered causing painful ripples to traverse through her already stressed body. She clutched the sides of her head with her hands in the desperate hope of squeezing out the pain. In desperation, she banged her head on the surface beneath her head and her eyes flew open in shock. Arial had felt something tickle her ear.
She immediately squinted her eyes to shut out the bright light and with slightly blurred vision, she examined her surroundings. This was not the dark quiet of her bedroom. She lay in an open green field. She winced from the overwhelming pain of the attack of light on her optic nerves and fell unconscious.
Hours later, Arial began to slowly awake. She arched her back and stretched her limbs like a lazy overweight tom-cat. As she inhaled deeply, her sense of smell alerted her to a strange smell. She opened her eyes one at a time, the migraine having vanished, and looked around at her environment. In disbelief, she patted the grass beneath her to check if she was really awake or in a dream. She took another deep breath and exhaled. Arial could not believe how clean the air smelled. She was frightened at not knowing where she was, or her inability to recall how she had gotten there, but still she was curious. Slowly she stood and turned in a circle. She looked up.
"There are no airplanes. None. No trails across the sky either," she said to herself. "I don't hear any cars either. As a matter of fact, I don't hear any signs of civilization." Arial frowned not understanding where she could possibly be located.
To her left, she could see a mountain range that seemed to be without an end. To her immediate right she could hear the gentle flow of a river. She thought back to her childhood days as a youth scout and remembered she had two choices: she could stay where she was and wait until she was found, or she could follow the river and it would eventually lead her to people. She stood and thought about her limited options. Arial did not know where she was, how she got there or if anyone who knew her knew she was missing or where she was. Arial ruled out the first choice and began walking toward the sound of the river. She was alert. She listened to every sound and would squat down close to the ground when she heard a noise she could not identify. There were many of those sounds and they made her nervous. But she did not let her fear interfere with her need to be found, or find someone who could help her.
Arial walked steady, noting the position of the sun. She guessed it was late afternoon and knew she should hurry. She did not want to be out in the middle of nowhere, by herself, cold and hungry, at night fall.
She was glancing behind her when she noticed a storm heading in her direction. She picked up her pace and watched for the river she could still hear but not see. Without warning after she broke through some thick brush, Arial stepped onto the river's bank, nearly sliding down and into the water. She fell backward onto her bottom and sat there for a few moments. She suddenly felt at peace. She had no idea why she would feel this way, only that it was like she was blanketed by that feeling of peace.
Arial knew the storm was approaching and would probably swell the banks of the river, but at that moment, she did not care. She wanted to stay where she was and bathe in the peaceful feeling. This was the one time in her life of twenty two years when she did not have three thousand thoughts and worries racing through her mind. Arial did not want to the feeling to end. She was at total and complete peace with herself, her situation, and her surroundings.
She fiddled with a string hanging from the seam of her blue jeans and sighed. She looked at her tennis shoes and smiled. She had gotten them as a treat for herself on her birthday not a week past. She had paid too much but she did not care at the time. She had always wanted a pair and everyone she knew was wearing the same kind. When she had gotten them, she felt like a part of her connected with other people around her; like the shoes were a testament that she belonged to the human race and that she was not so different, lonely, and isolated.
Arial was a pretty girl. She wasn't beautiful, she wasn't plain or ugly, just pretty. Her hair was not lustrous or silky, but if she spent some time with a flat iron and some frizz free spray, she could make her unruly hair lay straight and shiny. Arial did have good skin, and she was proud of the fact. Her nightly ritual included spreading five pounds of moisturizing glupe all over her body. She avoided tanning beds like they were a plague, and always wore makeup with sun protection as part of the formula and sunscreen over the rest of her. Ariel wanted to stay young forever, and the thought of growing old terrified her. She did not want the wrinkles, sags and bags, or anything to do with 'old'. Once a week, she meticulously checked her hair for graying.
But at this moment, Arial did not worry about anything, she simply sat, watching the fading sun dance on the water's surface. She did not hear the footsteps approaching her. Absent minded, her fingers ripped the bothersome string free from her jeans.
Arial rolled the string between her fingers, staring out at the water. Hairs on her neck stood up and something tingled in her mind. Suddenly, Arial knew she was being watched. She sprung up from her current position, looking back at the way she had came. Her eyes rove over the brush but she could see nothing. She knew someone or something was there. She did not know how but she could feel their presence.
She was defenseless and she knew it. She bent quickly and scooped up some pebbles. "Who's there?" She called out. She waited for a few moments in silence then called again. "I know you're there, show yourself."
A figure stood up from behind the brush a few feet from her and she drew a breath of surprise.
"I will not harm you," said the person's voice.
"Thank ye, that's good to know." Arial held fast to her handful of pebbles, determined to throw them and flee should the situation change.
"You are standing on the banks of the Bruinen, young one, upon my lands, without leave. Might I ask what are your intentions?"
Arial stumbled through her mind, searching for an answer. The voice broke in, "What is your business here?"
Arial spoke up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trespass. I didn't know I was on your property. I was just looking at the river. What'd you call it? The Brew I Nin? Where exactly is that at?"
Askance, the figure looked her over top to bottom.
She moved her arms through the air and said, "Hey, don't look at me like that. It's just that I'm lost. Can't figure out where I am, don't recognize this place."
"You are on the borders of Rivendell. You are lost? From whence do you hail?"
Rivendell. She plowed through her memory stores searching for that name. She had never heard of it before. Hoping the man would be able to help her find her way she volunteered an answer. "I'm from Waverly. Waverly Kentucky." She looked at his face and saw that he did not recognize her origins. "You know, the state of Kentucky. The good ol' U.S.A. I'm an American." She continued, hoping something would register on his face. She waited a few moments and said, "Well this is a sorry state of affairs. No one knows nothing. At this rate, I'm never going to get home." She glanced him over and decided he dressed funny.
The man noticed her looking at him and raised his eyebrows at her.
Wanting to divert his attention she asked, "Say,you think you'd know anybody that might be able to point me in the right direction? It's gonna storm, and I'd like to get back home before I get totally soaked, catch pneumonia and die."
"I am aware that a storm approaches, though I doubt seriously that you would be in any danger of catching pneumonia and dying. My father may be able to help you in your endeavor to return to your home. He is much more studied geographically than I. If you would follow me please." The man turned and began walking away from her. Not wanting to remain in the middle of what she perceived as nowhere, lost and alone, Arial decided to take a chance and follow the man.
oOo
Author's note:To be continued...so leave me a review and let me know what you think.