CHAPTER 2
My eyes flew open, and I sat up almost immediately. I noticed I was in bed, my book lying aside me on a small dresser drawer. My hand shot to my chest to cover my rapidly pounding heart. Deep breaths. That's what I needed. The dream was far too real for my liking. I was merely an imaginative young woman in my early twenties having lucid dreams. Was that too far-fetched to be true? Of course not! The somewhat dampened tank top on my torso bled through to reveal my slightly tanned, golden skin. After I had regained a steady breath pace, the back of my hand raised to my forehead. Removing the sweat building on my brow.
As I went to reach for my book, I noticed something that stopped me in my tracks. These were not my bed sheets. They were made of some sort of fine down and expensive thread count. Much more than a poor college student could afford. I had been living off 25 cent packs of ramen noodles. No way in Hell I could afford something this luxurious. It was in that moment I allowed myself to take a full look about the place I was in. There, many other people as well. No walls, nor curtains, to block one from another. Some moaned in agony, others squirming or twitching as they were being bandaged up.
"This is like a hospital ward or something," I muttered to myself. "Indeed it is." A voice replied to me. Causing to jump just slightly as I turned towards them. A female who appeared to be around my age cast her eyes upon me, giving me a rather stern look as she got closer. "How's your head doing?"
"I-It's fine. I'm fine.. At least I think I am," I began, until I noticed her appearance. Near translucent skin, silvery blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and...
Pointed ears.
"Are you sure? You seem like you've seen a ghost." She laughed quaintly, placing a damp cloth to my forehead where it seemed my wound had been. I winced, the bruise that must have been there ached immensely even with her gentle touch. "I think I might have. I've gotta be dead." I stated simply, given into the awe of her flawless being. Her brows furrowed in a worrisome way. "No, I can assure you that you have not yet perished, human. I've been watching you for a few hours now. You shall recover." Tch, the way she spoke was so proper.
"Am I far from the University of Lakewood?" I asked. Of course, in my heart I already knew the answer. There was absolutely no way I was even anywhere near my home - much less the same planet! - but I was desperate for an affirmative. "University?" The elfen woman replied, her head cocking sideways. I felt queasy.
"She awakens." Another voice stated, the man whom I saw before I had fainted. "Legolas.." He nodded towards me, as if acknowledging my statement as a question. "Leave us." He commanded to the woman. She simply bowed her head, stood, and left. No questions asked. "Ha..haha... hahahahahha!" I began to crack up. There was absolutely no way this was happening. It's true. Just like my family had said, I'd finally gone off the walls, jumped ship, bat-shit crazy. "Okay. You're prince Legolas, huh?"
His left eyebrow cocked as he peered at my in curiosity. "Yes, female. You seem to know me, though I haven't any idea as to whom you're supposed to be." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his words. I'll go along with this dream then. I must be in a coma or something after falling and cracking my head open. "I'm Xue. I'm a student in my final year of University," I told him. He didn't show any display of confusion, though I could tell he didn't exactly know what I was talking about. "A student? Are you learning how to use magick or something of the like?" He asked seriously. Once again I snorted in laughter. Yeah! Right! Of course - soon you'd be telling me that Hagrid would be walking in, breaking down the door with an umbrella telling me that I'm a wizard. As if.
"Nope. No magic skills here. I mean. Unless I can make myself do them, since this is a dream. I can do what I want here, right?" It wasn't so much a question as a bizarre idea I had. "In fact, I'm not even really in physical harm here. I can just stand up, waltz out, and meander on until I wake up." I swung my legs over the bed. Pressing my hands at either side of me as I attempted to raise myself out of the small cot. I winced in pain, instantly falling back down. Hands shooting to the side of my head as I sucked in air through my tightly gritted teeth. "Damn, that shouldn't hurt so much for a dream.. I've gotta lay off the books."
"I do not understand..." Legolas seemed to grow a bit more serious with my strange antics. "Nothin'.. can I leave or what?" His lips pursed forward into something of a frown, and something curious. "You have the features of an elf," He affirmed to himself simply, pointing at my face though not touching it. "The cheek bones, the jaw, though your ears are that of a man. And your body is far too... large to be that of an elven woman."
I glared at him. "Are you calling me fat?" "I would never be so crude. I simply mean you're too shapely to be elven." He nodded, a blush creeping to his cheeks in embarrassment. "Well no shit I'm a human. As much as I might have dreamed as a kid, I'm no elf, guy." I would think it obvious by now. "And you're not real anyways. What am I still doing here!" I demanded of him. As a figment of my imagination, he'd have to answer and do what I said. His head tilted back, looking at me down the ridge of his nose. "I assure you, as you know me, I am as real as I can be." He ran his hand down either arm in reassurement, the ruffling of his clothing and leather armour as real as could be.
"No you're not. You're a character. From a book - from a movie." I retorted. "A movie? What, praytell, is this?" The look of confusion on his face grew even further. I could only huff in frustration. What in the fuck. "Look here. You're a prince. I know that much. I know you're supposed to leave for Rivendell, chill with Elrond, join a group of hobbits, and men, and Gandalf, make friends with a dwarf and - what's wrong with you?"
His face changed from confusion to a serious questioning. "How do you know these names?"
What else could I say? I read them?! Well ya know what, that's exactly what. "I've gone through my book quite a few times in my day. Though it was some time ago... Wait. Wait is this a prank? Like on one of those television shows? Am I being pranked right now? Where are the cameras." I stated idiotically, looking around all over the place. Even if this were indeed some sort of prank show, the detailing on the area where I was, was immaculate. The wood seemed too really carved, the linen exquisite, the actor portraying Legolas far too on point. This had to have been quite an expensive set-up for one persons prank.
"Prank? You mean a jest of some sort? I can assure you, no one jests here." He nodded to himself, his eyes continuing to watch me carefully. "Though I still do not understand how you know all this information, lest you be a spy." How else could I be sure this wasn't a prank, or a dream, or something like that?
I reached over for my book. Pulling upwards my bookmark. All I had to do was show him how everything was written down in my book. Maybe that would signal my mind for me to wake up or something. "See? Right here. It says exactly who you are." Legolas took the book from my hand, staring down at it hard before flipping through the many pages.
"But these pages are blank. Are you sure it is not you who are playing into some type of jest?"
Blank?
I snatched the book back from his well manicured fingers, glancing through the pages. He wasn't lying. Every single entry was blank. Every page, every highlighted word. Gone. Everything. "There's no way..."
There had to be some sort of logical explanation for this. There just.. had to be. "Give me one of your arrows." I demanded, extending my hand towards him. He was curious enough to oblige, though with some moderate hesitance. I quickly took it from him and brought the head to my hand. Drawing a hard line across my palm with no resistance.
"Fuck!" I yelled, dropping the thing as blood started to rise to the surface, welling up into droplets upon the line. Okay, that shouldn't have hurt. Not if this was a dream or some shit. That.. actually hurt. Legolas didn't seem put off my self-inflicted wound however.
"You still haven't answered my question." He started to speak once more, drawing me from my ridiculous thoughts. "Huh?" My mouth was slightly agape in awe as I looked at him half-lidded. "You know of me, and you know of what has happened here. Are you.. an oracle of some kind?"
An oracle? Yeah, of course. If I really was here - and even if I wasn't, the characters here didn't seem to be playing along with my will.
"No. I'm no oracle! I'm not - I'm not from Middle-Earth, okay?" I pleaded with him. Hoping he would believe me. His eyes searched mine carefully, "You seem to speak the truth. . You must be a Valar, or your soul touched by them." "I'm from regular Earth! Not first Earth, not last Earth, not Middle-Earth. Just *earth*. I'm just a regular girl going to school, reading a fucking book that you're in, and that's all." This was all too much to soak in right now.
"You're going pale. Don't faint again, we still need more information as to who you are. If my father spoke to you without me extracting more information from you, there's little doubt in my mind he'd have you executed or spent in the dungeons for your lifetime."
I gulped. Yeah, I sure do remember how cruel Thranduil could be in certain situations. "P-Please. Just tell me what I need to do. I don't wanna die here!"
"Then, you shall tell my son and I the truth." A cold voice echoed from the hall. I looked over Legolas' shoulder as he looked over his other, both of us staring at the tall, intimidating figure headed our way. Two pairs of guards standing at his sides as he strode in with an elegance and grace I'd never seen before in my life.
"Father." Legolas said, bowing his head downward. He raised a hand up to relieve Legolas of his position. His son squinting his eyes in slight irritation, however. "Whom is this oracle your warriors spoke to me of." "Father, this woman was taken hostage by orcs. We slew them, but I'm not quite sure what to make of her. She seems to know much about us and our people and - " "A spy," Thranduil chuckled. Shaking his head slightly as if he had already figured it all out.
"I am not!" I frowned. "Mind how you speak to a king, human." He muttered, his icey gaze freezing me in place. "I mean.. I-I'm no spy. I'm not. I don't know how I got to your world... lands.. whichever. All I know is that I'm here. A dream or whatever this is, I'm here and there's nothing I can do about it. I swear on all that is holy I am not a spy!" My voice was still rather harsh, though I'm sure he could see the pleading in it. I was freaking out! This guy could have me killed at the snap of his fingers!
"Hm." Thranduil's eyes never left mine, only growing cooler in attitude before he nodded, only slightly, before turning 'round. "Place her in the dungeons below. Give her no food, nor water. Maybe when she is starved she will tell us whom has sent her here, and who it is she works for."
"Father!" Legolas shouted, standing up from his kneeled position at my bedside in frustration towards his lord. Thranduil didn't spare him so much as a passing glance as he continued on. "So I command it. I'll give her a week before she breaks."
And at that, two of the guards strode towards me. Tugging me out of the bed and dragging me across the stone floor with me struggling as well as I could. Legolas staring after me and his father.
A/N: Reviews make me post faster. ;) I expect a new chapter to be posted every 3-5 days. But it could be every single/other day if we can get reviews going!