mouth drops open. Oh, my God! 5 reviews and all within 24 hours of me posting my chapter (even though one was a double up)! Wow.

Da Evil BEAN: I agree. Víralairë is a pretty name considering it's the Elvish form of mine. Other than Lady ElfDragon, my name is Rosalie. I gave my character my own name. It's easier to base her on myself that way.

Da Evil BEAN: You're special, because you get two responses! I'm glad you still like my story 2 minutes after your first review:)

ArwenEvenstar83: As for why she blacked out, well, I'm afraid this chapter might not be that enlightening. She'll find out why she faints at Rivendell…oops, spoiler. I've gotta be a bit more reluctant to answer questions…And just coz you asked, here's the chappie that you wanted! Ready for a long explanation on Víralairë? Well, Rosalie happens to be my own name, so I gave it to my character (like I said to Da Evil BEAN). Rosalie comes from 'Rose' and 'Lee'. Rose obviously means 'rose', and Lee is 'meadow' in some weird and wacky language. The High Elvish word for rose is víre, and the word for meadow is laire. I put them together, changed the 'e' in víre to an 'a' and put two dots above the remaining 'e'. It doesn't sound so nice anymore, does it? But Galadriel did tell her to give her name that way. The Elves have another name for her, and its translation is much better (damn! Another spoiler…). You're a great reviewer, and the first that seems to ask questions. Wow, this response was looooooong! Keep reading:)

Hope of Freedom: I hate cliffhangers too, and I know other people do. I'm evil so there'll be plenty more cliffies where that came from. I'm glad you like my fic and I'm getting warm fuzzies just thinking about the next wave of reviews:)

Darth Squishy: Well, you can suggest ways in which Rosalie can stuff up, coz I'm not too good at thinking up things that could happen. Even if wine was considered common, I still think it would be a bit weird if Gandalf had let her drink it. Also, if it was common, that would be the reason that Bilbo offered it as a lunch-time drink before the tea. You are kuffuddling my head. I did say before that I'd accept ideas (didn't I?), and I won't take anything personally unless someone says outright that it's a dumb story and I should get a life. You did not do that, so quit worrying. I am altogether a very trusting and optimistic person, and now you've made ME worried! Jeez!

Disclaimer: Great. Another one. Oh all right… I don't own Tolkien's work or characters, and I don't own stuff from the movie. I obviously own me.

To Be A Girl In Middle-Earth

Chapter 3: In which we finally leave

-----

This is becoming a bad habit, I thought as I began to wake up. But I really had no reason to blank out that time. I was lying on the floor of Bag End, with a warm blanket over me. A small hand covered mine – a Hobbit's hand. I sat up.

"The lady's awake," I heard Frodo whisper.

"Obviously," I said irritably. 'Lady' again. My stomach grumbled. "I'm hungry."

"Here, my lady," said Sam, appearing and handing me a bowl of broth. I tried not to notice the looks of awe he cast at me as began eat. Hang on, looks of awe? What the Hell? When I finished I noticed daylight was streaming through the round windows. That's weird, I thought. It was dark a moment ago…oh crap.

"Where's Gandalf?" I asked suddenly.

"He left after the party," said Frodo. "He said that there were things he must see to and questions that needed answering."

Yep, that was what Gandalf was supposed to say, right before he left for Minas Tirith. Damn! I could've told him what he was going to find and saved all that time.

"How long ago did he leave?" I asked.

"Three days ago."

"Three days! I've been asleep for that long? What happened? Bilbo disappeared and then I –"

"You've had a terrible fever since then. We couldn't wake you. Gandalf was really worried!" Sam exclaimed.

A fever? I thought as I shifted around into a more comfortable position. My clothes felt strange so I looked at what I was wearing. I rubbed my eyes. Nope, still there.

"Why am I wearing a nightgown?" I asked aloud.

Sam looked apologetic. "We thought it might be the wet giving you the fever, miss, so we changed you out of your damp clothes."

I looked at him with shock. "You changed my clothes?"

"Oh, no, my lady," Sam face went red. "I asked Rosie Cotton to do it for us."

"You didn't peek?" I asked suspiciously.

Both Hobbits shook their heads furiously.

"Good. How'd you make it fit?"

"Rosie Cotton extended it to fit you," Sam said proudly.

"Really?" I asked uninterestedly, and then grinned evilly. "How was your dance with her by the way?"

"I…er…I…" he fumbled around deciding what to say for a full minute before I grinned.

"Guess that means it was great, hey?"

Sam stopped trying to talk and just nodded. There was a silence while we all thought of what to say next, and then Sam asked:

"Lady Víralairë, are you an Elf?"

"What!" I shouted. "Are you nuts! What made you think that?" I was actually quite comfortable with being mistaken for an Elf, but I'd never pass as one.

"You're ears, my lady," Sam answered honestly. My ears? I thought in confusion. Oh crud, he thinks my stupid pointy growths make me an Elf.

"And your looks aren't exactly plain either," Frodo added.

"My…" hang on, I thought. Galadriel said I would be changed forever, no matter which path I chose.

"Frodo, get me something that I can see my reflection in," I said quickly. The Hobbit jumped up and came back with a small hand-held mirror. I snatched it from him, said thank you and stared at my reflection for a long time with a shocked expression on my face.

Both the Hobbits had been right.

My ears, instead of their usual dull points, formed very fine tips that seemed too delicate to be real. And I was pretty.

Not just pretty, I was beautiful enough to be an Elf. I must've looked this way ever since Gandalf found me.

I swore. Both Hobbits recoiled with a look of surprise on their faces. I smiled.

"Sorry." I decided to check if Gandalf had given Frodo his warning. "Frodo. I'd like to speak to you about a particular gift your Uncle left for you," I nodded towards the mantelpiece above the fire. The Hobbit understood.

"Sam," he said a little too loudly. "I think it's time, now that the lady is well, for you to get back to your gardening."

Sam jumped up quickly. "Yes, sir. My apologies sir."

I waited until he'd left before I turned back to Frodo.

"How do you know about Bilbo's ring?" he asked before I could say anything. I thought fast.

"Gandalf told me." I was relieved when he seemed to accept my answer. "I suppose Gandalf's already told you this, but you must never put it on, or I swear that I will knock you senseless. It will be more than three weeks until Gandalf returns, and you must not even look at it until then, understand?"

He nodded and I relaxed.

"Do you want to show me around Hobbiton?" I asked.

-----

The weeks passed quickly, and all too soon it was the night of Gandalf's return. I had become a good friend of Frodo and of Sam, so I'd decided to leave when they did. I wasn't too sure that they trusted me fully yet, being that I kinda turned up on their doorstep out of nowhere, and then promptly went and fainted when Bilbo vanished.

Hobbits were so peaceful and fun loving that I wasn't pleased that I would have to leave soon and it made me grumpy. I'd made friends with many of the smaller Hobbit-children, and had taught a few of them some origami (much to their delight. I do believe that some proud parents framed their children's creations and hung them in their homes. Weird.).

Frodo and I (now back in my own clothes) were currently walking along the road back to Bag End after saying goodnight to Sam who was having tea at Rosie's. After I'd kicked my seventeenth pebble, hurt my foot and cursed loudly, Frodo asked if I was feeling all right.

"No I'm not feeling fine at all!" I replied grumpily.

"Anything I can do to help, lady?" he asked. I tried to stay angry but failed. Damn Hobbit's and their insistence on making everyone happy, I thought.

"You can't help me, Frodo" I sighed as we reached the door of Bag End. I was ready for the sight inside but Frodo wasn't. He opened it and gasped.

"The lanterns are unlit, and I'm sure they were burning when we left," he said in a puzzled tone. He went in and I followed, bracing myself for the appearance of Gandalf. It didn't work though. I still got a fright when a hand reached out of the shadows and grasped Frodo's shoulder. By the looks of things, the Hobbit was about ten times more petrified than I was until he heard Gandalf's voice.

"Is it secret? Is it safe?"the wizardasked urgently.

"What?" Frodo said confusedly.

"He talking about the Ring," I said and looked at Gandalf carefully. The wizard gave me a look that said, 'I don't know how you know but I'll find out later'.

"You are well, lass?" he questioned. I nodded. Gandalf released Frodo and told him to fetch the Ring. As the Hobbit sorted through the chest full of maps and parchment there was a shrieking noise. Gandalf spun and looked around wildly, his staff in his hand.

"It's here!" Frodo called. The wizard turned, grabbed the envelope that contained the ring and flung it into the fire.

"What are you doing?" Frodo cried as the envelope blackened and curled away. Gandalf didn't answer. Instead, using a pair of tongs, he plucked the Ring from the flames and held it out to Frodo.

"Hold out your hand, Frodo," I said, stealing Gandalf's lines. "It's quite cool."

The wizard gave me a funny look but dropped the Ring into Frodo's now outstretched hand.

"What do you see?" Gandalf whispered as he turned away from the flames. "Can you see anything?"

I watched as Frodo turned the Ring over in his fingers. He shook his head.

"Nothing. There's nothing."

Gandalf sighed in defeat.

"…Wait," Frodo said and Gandalf brightened. I watched them as the familiar curving script began to glow on the golden band.

"There are markings," the Hobbit continued. "Some form of Elvish – I can't read it."

"There are few who can," Gandalf said grimly. "The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here."

"Mordor?" Frodo said in a shaky voice.

"In the common tongue it reads:

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

I waited expectantly for the wizard to say something more, and when he was silent I whispered:

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark Throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."

There was a pause, and then Gandalf folded his arms. "I wish to know how a girl like yourself knows so much about things that would usually be hidden from many."

I made a face.

"And I wish to know how an all-knowing wizard fails to know-all," I gave a sigh of defeat. "I'll tell you, but let's have tea first. I'm hungry."

-----

"Yours is a most unusual story, Víralairë," Gandalf said after I had finished. Being who I happened to be, I had told him everything except the answer to his original question.

"You haven't told me how you know these things, though."

Damn! I thought. Ummm…

"Galadriel told me that she would set me down near Hobbiton at the time of Bilbo's party – and that explains itself. She also told me about the Ring," they were both lies, and I knew it, but I didn't want them to know that I knew what was going to happen. Then they'd ask me and it would probably mess up the future and everything would be wrong. Then a thought struck me. I had told Frodo that Gandalf had told me about the Ring! Heh, heh, oops, I thought sheepishly. I hope they don't damn well notice it. I put on my best 'I'm-telling-the-truth-so-please-please-believe-me' face. Gandalf still looked suspicious.

"Well," he murmured finally. "If that's all you are going to tell us…"

He turned to Frodo, who had set the Ring upon the table. "This is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron…"

I sighed. Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk about the Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, and guess what else: The Ring. Snore. I went to sit by the window and wait. After a few minutes the Ring's whispering filled my head. I grimaced because it was a sound I hated with a passion, and it was louder here than when you watched the movie.

"All right," said Frodo suddenly, grabbing the Ring. "We'll put it away – keep it hidden – and never speak of it again."

"That won't work," I said quietly.

"But no-one knows it's here, do they?" Frodo asked me. I just looked at Gandalf.

"Do they, Gandalf?" Frodo repeated. Gandalf sighed.

"There is one other who knew that Bilbo had the Ring…" he began. I stopped listening and waited, humming a tuneless song to myself.

"Shire? Baggins?" Frodo eventually questioned. "But that will lead them here!"

Oh no, I thought. Now he's going to –

"Take it Gandalf!" the Hobbit said, holding the Ring out. "Take it!"

"No Frodo –" Gandalf stepped back.

"You must take it!"

"Gandalf is right, Frodo," I interrupted, trying to skip a lot of boring reasoning. "Even if he took the Ring because he wanted to do good things, through him it would wield a power that is greater than anything you have ever known."

"But it cannot stay in the Shire!" the Hobbit protested.

"No, it can't," Gandalf agreed. I watched impassively as the realization hit Frodo. His hand closed over the ring.

"What must I do?" he asked.

-----

Ten minutes later, Frodo and myself (with a borrowed pack) were ready to leave.

"Stay off the road," the wizard was saying.

"We can cut across the country easily enough," Frodo replied. "But I still don't know why I have to take Lady Víralairë with me. It might be dangerous."

"You're not leaving me behind – I can take care of myself." I said calmly. "And quit calling me lady."

Frodo slipped the Ring into his pocket and stood expectantly before Gandalf. The wizard smiled.

"Frodo, Hobbits really are amazing creatures," he said. "You can learn all there is to know about their ways in a month, yet in a hundred years they can still surprise you."

I snorted. "That's for sure. Look what Bilbo's gone and done."

The bush outside the window rustled and I grinned as Gandalf ordered us to get down. He poked the bush with his staff and it let out a yelp. Plunging his hand outside the wizard pulled a small and frightened figure into the room and slammed him on top of a table.

"Samwise Gamgee!" Gandalf yelled. "Have you been eavesdropping?"

"I haven't been dropping no eaves, sir, honest," Sam said shakily, as Frodo and I tried to keep from laughing. "I was just cutting the grass under the window there, if you follow me."

"It's a little late to be trimming anything, don't you think?" I giggled.

"I heard raised voices –" Sam began.

"What did you hear?" Gandalf thundered. "Speak!"

Sam jumped. "N-Nothing, nothing important. That is, I heard a good deal about a ring, a dark lord and something about the end of the world, but please Mr. Gandalf, sir, don't hurt me. Don't turn me into anything…unnatural." he begged.

"No?" Gandalf looked at Frodo and I. "I've thought of a much better use for you, Samwise. How quickly can you be ready to leave?"

"T-To leave, sir? Um…dawn, maybe?"

"Good," Gandalf said, setting the Hobbit on his feet. "Go and pack."

-----

"Come along, Samwise! Keep up!" Gandalf called, leading his horse down the road. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and Sam was shouldering his pack.

"I'll wait for him, Gandalf," I said. "Hurry!" I called back to the lagging Hobbit. Sam started to trot along, the dust making little clouds around his feet. He was so focused on catching up he didn't notice the large stone in his path until he tripped over it. I rolled my eyes and ran to help him up.

"Thank you, my lady," he said gratefully and kept going.

We reached the glade where Gandalf was to say goodbye. He mounted his horse and I was suddenly aware that I had never thanked him for taking me to Hobbiton. I did so, and he reached down to place a hand on my shoulder.

"You are welcome," he said. "Keep the Hobbits safe and stay out of danger yourself."

"I will." Good, the advice, obvious though it was, meant that he at least trusted me enough to leave me with Frodo and Sam. It was a start.

Gandalf looked at Frodo and glanced at his pocket.

"Remember, Frodo, never to put it on. Farewell!" he said, and he urged his horse into a gallop. The Hobbits sadly watched him go, until I shook them.

"Come on! We'd best get going if you want to get anywhere. Jeez! You're both as slow as snails."

-----

We reached farmer Maggot's field the following evening. I was happy, because we'd run into Merry and Pippin soon. I began counting in my head. After a minute of walking along a path through the crops, Frodo noticed that Sam was missing. He called out his name until Sam appeared behind us looking relieved.

"I thought I'd lost you," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Frodo asked.

"Oh, it's just something Gandalf said when we was leaving."

One…

"What did he say?"

Two…

" 'Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee' and I don't mean to."

"Sam, don't be silly. What could possibly happen?"

Three. They should arrive just about…

Two Hobbits suddenly leapt out from the side of the path. One hit Frodo and bowled him over and the other did the same to Sam. I grinned.

…now.

Hey! There's no cliffhanger! At least, not much anyway… Sorry if this chapter was a bit long, but as I said before, I do tend to make things longer than necessary. The more reviews, the quicker the next one goes up so press the little button and give me a review! And do be nice. :)