- 2 / Captive -

The trees stood tall and proud, surrounding the small clearing where she lay. The green grass beneath her was soft and cool, the sky above blue, a few plump clouds crossing leisurely the space defined by the treetops. The surrounding nature seemed to breathe life from every leaf, a wild energy that was surging through the trunks and the stems and running deep in the earth with the roots. If Seena had had to describe the feeling, she would've said that the forest lived. Not that it was alive, which is the opposite of death, but living, conscious of its existence, feeling joy from the sun above and the fresh wind in the branches. Even the light was different from what she had seen before: golden and warm, it fell through the canopy in sparkling rays.

Seena sat, completely puzzled about her ability to do so: a few seconds earlier she had been lying in the middle of a crosswalk, her body bloody and broken. Now she found herself in a forest almost magical in its beauty, with absolutely no idea how she got there. She was, however, sure of one thing: this could not be the world she had known all her life; the sensation was too foreign. But no matter how pleasant it was, a thought nagged at the back of her mind: what had happened between the moment the truck had hit her and her awakening? How did she get here? And where exactly was 'here'?

She rose to her feet, looking around in awe. The forest seemed so peaceful, so inviting, that one could only want to lay in the soft grass, digging the fingers into the rich earth, and to drink in the life radiating in the clearing. Seena listened raptly, but the surrounding woods were completely silent…

A twig snapped behind her. Her heart skipped a beat and she spun around, eyeing the green depths warily. A soft voice swore, and a man stepped into the sun: he was tall, and his hair was long, falling in dark waves behind his shoulders, held back by intricate braids. Seena's's breath caught in her throat, for she had never seen a man so handsome, nor so threatening, for he held a bow, aiming directly at Seena's head.

'Who are you?' he asked, his deep and pleasant voice contradicting his menacing stance, 'And what is your business here?' His grey eyes were suspicious, boring into Seena as if he wanted to read his mind. But her eyes were riveted to his pointed ears. She blinked.

This cannot be real, she thought. Elves don't exist. Yet, somehow, she was not entirely surprised, for she had died, hadn't she? For all she knew, the afterlife might be like one of her favourite books.

Since she had discovered the work of J.R.R. Tolkien a few years ago she had been fascinated by the world he had created, and all those that derived from it: elves, hobbits, dwarves… even orcs and dragons, for they were a door out, an escape for her imagination trapped in a demanding routine. She had long dreamt of a world where humans would not be the only intelligent race, where nature would reign in its original beauty, and where bravery and loyalty would still be praised. Now it seemed she was offered another chance in a world where her dreams were real: she wanted to believe it was true…

But then why did her heart constrict so painfully in her chest?

Afterlife. She was dead in her world, her broken body carried away in a plastic bag by paramedics, forensics scraping the remains out of the asphalt, curious passers-by gathering round to catch a glimpse of the pool of blood on the road. Soon, her parents would receive a phone-call… Bile rose in her throat at the thought of their reaction, her knees weakening, and she slid to the ground under the elf's surprised gaze.

'My name is Seena,' she whispered, her voice sounding rough to her own ears compared to that of the elf. 'I do not know how I came here.' A snort came from one of the surrounding trees, and another elf, identical to the one threatening Seena landed gracefully on his feet. 'Lie!' he spat, eyeing her coldly, readying his own bow. 'I sense a lie.' He looked at his twin, and spoke a few words in a flowing language Seena did not understand. The first elf nodded. 'We cannot leave you here,' he said. 'You will be brought before our father.'

The second elf whistled, and more people stepped out into the clearing. Most of them were dark-haired, but Seena caught a glimpse of gold in the background. However, all of them were fully armed and seemed ready to defend themselves should the need arise.

The first dark-haired elf lowered his weapon cautiously, replacing the arrow into the quiver, and pulled out a thin grey rope. 'Your hands!' he demanded, and Seena obeyed. She gasped when the rope tightened around her wrists, almost cutting into the skin. This was not the way she had imagined her arrival into Middle-Earth, or whatever this land was. Elves were supposed to be gentle creatures, were they not? And these guards were openly suspicious, almost hostile, with their cold eyes and their sharp tongues. She wondered whether her life was once again in danger. Well, she wasn't going to stick around to find out.

When the elf pulled her up roughly, she wrenched away from his grasp and bolted towards the nearest horse. Grabbing a handful of its beautiful mane, she managed to hoist herself up onto its back, a small part of her clapping its imaginary hands and wondering how she had accomplished such a prowess. Thank God for adrenaline, she thought.

She placed a well-aimed kick in the nearest elf's chest; the blond warrior staggered backwards, more surprised than hurt, and Seena kicked the horse into a gallop. Wind whistled in her ears as the steed jumped forward, its powerful muscles taking Seena away from her attackers. Her wrists still bound, she was struggling to stay on horseback. She could hear the elves' angry cries behind her, but dared not look back: every second was precious, every effort left her less strength for the escape.

Suddenly, the horse beneath her staggered and fell, bringing its rider down, crushing Seena under its mass. She had felt the impact in her very bones, and was struggling to get away from the fallen animal that whinnied and kicked in pain. Suddenly she felt a warm liquid on her bound hands: crimson, sticky blood was pouring from an arrow wound on the horse's neck. As the unfortunate animal's thrashing subsided, Seena realized that there was no chance this injury was accidental. Elves did not miss their targets. She felt a knot form in her throat, understanding that her attempt to flee had just cost a life, and wondered whether she ought to feel grateful that hers had been spared.

She did not fight anymore when the blond elf pulled her roughly from beneath the horse's carcass, unable to tear her gaze from the animal's eyes, glassy in upcoming death. A dark-haired elf was kneeling beside the horse's head and stroked gently the soft mane, whispering a sad, incomprehensible lullaby.

A blindfold absorbed her tears of guilt, and she was shoved roughly forward. As she walked, Seena could hear the soft footsteps of her captors all around her: the surveillance had been enforced, and the young woman wondered whether she was now openly considered an enemy, instead of a trespasser. Seena could almost feel the arrows directed at her back, and dared not speak, despite a morbid curiosity about their destination. Her feet soon started to ache, the high-heeled shoes inappropriate for the long walk in the forest; blisters formed and then were ripped open, and soon Seena was grimacing with every step. 'Beware of the root,' announced a melodic voice to her left and, in full accordance to Murphy's law, the young woman stumbled. Before he could hit the ground, with no means to prevent the fall, someone caught her. The thin fingers dug into her arm as her saviour hoisted her up none too gently. 'Keep moving' he hissed into her ear. Seena caught his scent, as he pushed her forward: a light, intoxicating, and indescribable fragrance that she caught herself longing to breathe in again. She scolded herself, for this was not the time for male interest.

She winced once more at the raw wounds in her shoes, cursing herself, the elves and the whole world for her pains. Too busy listing her woes, she didn't notice that the group had come to a halt, and slammed into someone in front of her. The unfortunate elf swore under his breath, and tore away her blindfold. Seena closed her eyes, blinded by the sudden brightness; she blinked, and when her eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself gazing at the most breathtaking place she had even seen.