Disclaimer: I own nothing except my pack of Orbit gum (the best kind, I don't care what you say) and Kate and Almira. Not too shabby.

Chapter 4- My Blanket and Me

"We will rest here for the night," Glorfindel announced as he stopped his horse. Cue the hallelujah chorus.

He dismounted his horse and politely turned to help Almira down, even though he looked like he would rather vomit than have to touch her. But that could have just been me.

"Thank you for letting me ride with you. I am feeling much better now, my lord. If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, let me know."

Did anyone else catch that emphasis on 'anything,' come on, anyone? Could you be any more obvious. "Ugh, gag me," I muttered, making the accompanying facial expression. However, I knew they both saw and heard me because Glorfindel looked extremely embarrassed. The poor chap was even blushing. Almira was just the opposite. She was pissed. Uh-oh.

Glorfindel disentangled himself from her muttering something along the lines of, "No way in hell," and all but ran away to help his fellows, while Almira stalked past me, bumping into my shoulder. My injured shoulder.

"Ouch! What the hell?" I cried.

"Oh dear. I'm so sorry. I had absolutely no idea you had injured your shoulder. I was passed out during the fight. Don't you remember?"

Sure she didn't. I would have believed her if she didn't look quite so self-satisfied. I wanted to scream at her that yes, I did in fact remember, seeing as I helped save her passed out ass. But whatever. I didn't need this.

"That's right, I almost forgot. Of course, the fact that I'm wearing a sling could not have possibly tipped you off."

Her eyes narrowed, but before she could reply Glorfindel called me over to him. Until then I hadn't noticed the weird looks the other elves exchanged behind my back after hearing our conversation.

"I owe you one for getting me out of there," I said as I walked up to him.

"I'm sure one day you will be able to repay the favor," he replied.

"Sad, but true. So what did you need me for?"

"I was wondering if you had any camping supplies of your own amongst these bags."

"No. No, I don't. Bugger." Glorfindel just quirked an eyebrow in response. I was really looking forward to sleeping until now. Now that I realized I didn't have any supplies, it kind of took all the joy out of it.

"It figures. Leave it to you to be unprepared," Almira sneered walking over to us.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I don't see you carrying around a sleeping bag or other camping paraphernalia." Ten points for me. Take that, you hypocrite.

"Well, no, but then again I don't have 500 bags," she replied raising her voice just a little.

"This is not necessary, so if you would both just-" Glorfindel tried to stop us from arguing, but I cut him off. I was really, really getting tired of her attitude. And damn it, my shoulder really hurt. Pain makes everyone irritable. All the frustration of the past several hours combined with the fact that I was in a fictional place and completely unprepared for it, was just too much.

"I don't have 500 bags. And who are you calling unprepared? It's not exactly like I expected to go world-hopping. I mean, tell me, since you know so much, how exactly do you pack for a vacation to a place that shouldn't exist?" I was practically yelling now.

"World-hopping to a place that should not exist?" Glorfindel asked, his voice quiet.

Uh-oh. Danger zone. Panic, panic. Looking around me (pretty much anywhere except Glorfindel) I noticed all the other elves in our group were completely still. Oh, this was not good.

"Did I say world-hopping? (nervous chuckle) I meant, uh, I don't really know what I meant, but listen, there is no need to get upset-"

"NO NEED TO GET UPSET!" Glorfindel burst out, making both Almira and I jump. "This is unbelievable! Not to mention impossible! Do you realize what you are implying? What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We come in peace?" I offered. Almira just rolled her eyes. She really needed to cut that out, because one day I wouldn't be responsible for my actions.

"My lord, I have absolutely no idea what she is talking about-"

"The heck you don't, Miss I-got-this-dress-from-GAP," I muttered.

Glorfindel just ignored me, "Quiet! I don't need your excuses. I want the truth and I want it now."

Almira and I exchanged uneasy glances and she said, "You should probably explain, seeing as you seem to know more. I've only seen the movies."

"Figures. Fine, I'll do it." When I looked back to Glorfindel, he and the other elves had a look of utter confusion on their faces.

"What language were you just speaking? I have never heard it before," Glorfindel said. "Is it similar to Westron?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning to Almira I said, "I thought we were speaking Elvish."

"There! You just did it again when talking to her," cried Faelon.

"It's the same language you were speaking when we first happened upon you," said one of the other elves, Gornnir, I think. I blinked in surprise. I forgot about how well elves could hear. That would explain the curious stares and why Glorfindel was so suspicious. However, I was still confused. As far as I knew I wasn't aware I was speaking Elvish. Whenever the elves were present they understood me, and I them. I must have made the change without thinking. But why?

Then it dawned on me. I must have been speaking English with Almira when there were no elves around, or if we weren't speaking directly to an elf, because it simply wasn't necessary. I smiled as I realized this could be used to convince them we really weren't from Middle-Earth. As if the red-haired, green-eyed elf didn't give it away. But hey, unless I saw some kind of mothership I would have a hard time believing in visitors from another world or time, too.

"Why didn't you question us about the language when you heard us using it?" I asked, genuinely curious.

At this, Glorfindel and the other elves' expressions went from confused to slightly sheepish. "We assumed that it must have been a variation of the Common Tongue," answered Glorfindel with a shrug. Yeah, sure they did. Or they might have been too embarrassed to admit they had absolutely no idea what we were speaking. But what did I know? "We do not interact with humans that often any more. So it seemed entirely possible that there might be a change in the language, or a deviant form we would not recognize. And given your odd coloring, it would stand to reason that you might be half-elves, and therefore more in touch with the world of men. However, if this is not so, what language were you speaking?"

"We were speaking English," I announced.

"Ing-lish?" Glorfindel tried.

"Yes. It's the language we speak in the United States of America, which is where we are from."

"I have never heard of such a place," Glorfindel said, while several of the elves shook their heads in agreement.

"That's because it's either in an entirely different universe or thousands and thousands of years into the future."

"Impossible," Glorfindel murmured, as the other elves muttered similar sentiments.

"That's what I thought, until I got here and changed species."

"Changed species?" asked Gornnir.

"I used to be human." After I said this, it was like one collective gasp.

"Me too," Almira said quietly.

They all just kind of stared at us, until Glorfindel asked, "How?"

"I have absolutely no idea. There are no elves in our world. Only humans."

"So how did you know who I was, and where you were, if this place isn't supposed to exist?"

I sighed; this was the really difficult part. "In our world, Middle-Earth is a fictional place created by a man named J.R.R. Tolkien as a bedtime story for his children. But it became much more. His stories were so popular, people wanted more. So he began to outline the history of Arda. All the major happenings in Middle-Earth from its creation by Eru through the Fourth Age are available to read or study for anyone who wants to do so."

The silence was almost deafening. You could literally hear crickets chirping (we are still in the woods). It was actually quite comical. I had just managed to stun an entire group of elven warriors into silence. And from the looks of it, I had a feeling that didn't happen often.

"So you know the future of Middle-Earth and its people?" asked Glorfindel, when he had recovered enough to speak.

"More or less," I said with a shrug.

I didn't know what else to say. I looked at Almira. She looked about as helpless as I felt. It was one of those horribly awkward moments, when you want to ask, "So now what?" except you don't because you're afraid of the answer, or lack thereof.

A few more tense moments passed before Glorfindel spoke in a quiet voice, "I can see now why you were reluctant to speak of it before. Possession of such knowledge is very dangerous. I admit I have a hard time believing what you have just said, yet I can tell you are not lying. There is much I would like to ask you, but this is neither the time nor place for such questions," at this he shot his companions a meaningful glance. "We will discuss this more once we reach Imladris and Lord Elrond has heard your tale. Now we must finish setting up camp and eat. Then we will rest." He turned to his men, who were staring at us with various expressions of confusion and disbelief on their faces, and gave a few short orders to finish organizing the camp and fixing dinner.

Not twenty minutes had gone by before dinner was ready, which consisted of rabbit, berries, and a few grains. For a campfire meal, it was pretty delicious. Of course, the look on Almira's face when she was told what she was eating was actually rabbit also helped to make my dining experience a little more pleasant. She was harmless, but so stupid. What did she think we were eating? It's not like there was a Wal-Mart nearby where you could go pick up a nice rotisserie chicken. Plus, I mean the meat was still in general bunny shape when it was being cooked on the spit. Glorfindel must have noticed my smirk from across the campfire, because he raised an eyebrow in response. I just smiled and pointed to the meat in my hands. He nodded and gave a quiet laugh. It looked as though he was about to say something when Faelon walked up and sat next to me.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello," I replied. I have to admit he caught me a little off guard. I wasn't expecting anyone to really want to talk to us, seeing as they probably all figured we were crazy. But if he wanted to, I wasn't going to stop him. Camping is extremely boring if most of your companions aren't talking to you.

"How are you?" he asked. For some odd reason that question struck a nerve.

"Well. Let's see. I just fell through some weird light-vortex thing, landing in a world that shouldn't exist with a vapid, egotistical, wannabe-princess, was almost killed and have absolutely no camping supplies. Otherwise, I'm fantastic."

The poor elf looked kind of stunned. I sighed, that might have come out a little too sarcastic.

"I'm sorry. It seems like I'm always snapping at you. It's just been a rough day. Not to mention the pain in my shoulder is kind of setting me on edge," I said, giving him an apologetic smile.

He smiled back. "I can't do much about you ending up here or your traveling companion. But I can help with the pain and your lack of traveling supplies."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes, just hold on a moment." He got up and walked over to what I assumed to be his traveling gear, pulled a few things out, then walked back. "Here," he said, while handing me a blanket and a mat, "it's not much, but it should keep you warm."

"Thanks. But I can't accept this if it is your only blanket."

"Don't worry about it. You need it more than I do. After all, you've had a rough day."

I blushed. He was teasing me and I knew it. But I still couldn't help feeling a little bit guilty. I mean here I was complaining to him about my day, when his had been equally tough. It's not everyday you battle Orcs and find out your world is a fairytale to humans thousands of years in the future. Alright, the Orcs may be a more common occurrence, but definitely not the second part.

"Here, drink this. It should dull the pain." He handed me a cup filled with a greenish-brown liquid. Why it is that all pain medication has to look, smell, and taste absolutely disgusting is beyond me.

"Do I even want to know what this is?" I asked, peering into the cup.

"Probably not."

"Right then. Bottoms up."

My face must have been hilarious because I could tell Faelon was doing his best to try and not laugh. I, on the other hand, was doing my best not to gag.

"That stuff," and here I shuddered, "is positively foul."

"I never said it would be good, only that it would help with the pain."

"Pfft."

"Get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Tomorrow. I was not looking forward to it. Although, I wasn't quite as apprehensive about my meeting with Lord Elrond as I had once been because Glorfindel believed me. It was such a relief to know that someone didn't think I was completely crazy. And it also helped that that someone happened to be a very powerful Elven Lord and good friends with Lord Elrond himself.

Looking at the blanket and mat in my hand, I realized I was going to have a hard time setting up any sort of decent bed with only one good arm. "Uh, Faelon," I said while nodding to the stuff in my hands, "could you help me?"

"Of course." He set up my bed right next to where we had been sitting and proceeded to help me get situated. "How is it?" he asked.

"Wonderful."

"I see you are all taken care of," said Glorfindel, walking over and coming to stand next to Faelon.

"Yep. Where's her wannabe-highness?" I asked, only partially interested.

"She's sleeping in my tent."

Now I was fully interested. "Is that so?" At this I raised an eyebrow and shot Faelon a look.

"And where are you to sleep, Glorfindel?" he asked with the same look on his face.

"Outside," Glorfindel replied, his voice tight.

"And disappoint Almira? Shame on you, shame."

"I hate you both," Glorfindel muttered.

"Oh, you don't mean that," I said, stifling a yawn.

He just rolled his eyes and stalked off.

"I feel bad for him. It would be very chivalrous of him to have sacrificed his tent for her. And I'm sure he would have; maybe not for her, but he would have given up his tent. Yet something tells me he had his tent stolen from him," said Faelon, as we watched Glorfindel sit down and frown into the fire, in what I assumed was the Elvish equivalent of sulking.

Maybe not for her? What was that supposed to mean? I was about to ask when Faelon cut in.

"Goodnight Kate, rest well."

"Goodnight, Faelon, and thanks."

I closed my eyes and tried to get comfortable. As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help feeling uneasy with what Faelon had insinuated, and the possible events of the next day.