Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR.


The Village

"Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts."

~ Arnold Bennett


Early May 3018

Narghaash pushed his pack to near exhaustion once the White Wizard had sent them on their task. It was late and they were near desperate for a fresh kill but weeks of a grueling pace paid off. They had finally caught up to Saruman's band of Uruk-hai and orcs that had been sent to locate and capture the same female.

It was disgusting the way they carried on, pillaging and doing as they pleased with no respect for the land or its inhabitants. He could only imagine what his Mother would say about such behavior. His Mother was prone to worry, and if she was upset no doubt the rest of his family was as well, especially his Father. Father fed on the emotions of the family, he was a mountain orc after all and they were strung high and attuned to the scents and sentiments of pack. Narghaash was the same way, in some ways more so.

That was how they had been captured in the first place. He, along with his party, had been on a routine hunt, when they had sensed they were being tracked. Fearful he would lead the pursuers to their families he had led them on an unsuspecting chase. There had been little choice as their settlement was filled with women and children, and not nearly enough warriors to hope for an outcome where his people came out unscathed. The thought of his younger brother and sister, not yet in their prime, in the hands of this foul breed of Uruk-hai sent his blood boiling. In the end it had mattered little what precautions and strategies he had attempted to make. In the end he and his folk had still been captured and now his kin were in danger if he and his group could not secure the female for Saruman. His mind berated him for being so careless. How could he have let them fool him so? He was a strong bred warrior and pack leader, second to none, except for his Father.

It had been too long since he had seen others of his kind. He could almost forget that he was bred from such fifth as them, but looking upon them now he was reminded of what he could have become- a simpering beast with a mind that thought only of blood and cruelty.

Tracking fifteen Uruk-hai and orcs had proven fruitful. For their leader, Shaataz, had found a trace of the female. They had stumbled upon the remnants of a camp that the female had clearly been in. The female, however, had not been alone. They had been attacked by a group of orcs and it appeared they had lost two of their party from the meager graves that had been dug for their human companions. What impressed Narghaash were the dead orcs that lay scattered. A few of them had wounds that he had never seen before.

It was clear that these humans had left travelling together, but it was not by looking at this camp site that Narghaash had come to the conclusion.

Dargum, his trusted friend and second, had discovered a trail that led to another campsite, the one that the female had solely occupied with a male and a small beast prior to meeting with this band of humans. It was the most astounding sight he had ever seen. There were items that he had never seen before and had no idea what they were. One was a large metal box where most of the items were stored. The tracks from the camp led to where he was now. Clearly they had heard the distress from the orcs attacking the other group of humans and had run to their aid. What confounded him is that they had succeeded in taking care of the threat. Perhaps this female held a weapon that Saruman wished to procure?

Narghaash continued to watch the group of orcs keeping track of their numbers hidden by the brush and keeping his scent upwind. Dargum crouched low next to him and sneered. "Did you find anything else?"

Dargum took a deep breath and sneered at the orcs. "Yea, found a trail leading from their other camp leading out of the forest. Looks like the two party's left together a few weeks ago."

Narghaash nodded. "We'll follow."

Dargum looked at him somberly. "They'll find the camp, they ain't that dumb. We can't do nothin' 'bout it unless we wanna kiss our asses goodbye."

"Didn't say we ain't gonna let 'em find the other camp."

Narghaash could feel Dargum's eyes on him and he turned slightly keeping his gaze partially on the Uruk-hai before him. "What are you scheming?"

"Like you said, they'll find the other camp, and the trail you found. What we need, is to keep them," he motioned to the orcs and uruk-hai, "off the scent long enough to find the female first."

Dargum grinned. "I love a good chase."

"I know. Take Gorûrz with you. Keep out of sight and whatever you do don't get caught. Do what you can but if it means they find the trail it don't matter. You hear?" He snarled low making his point.

"Got it."

Narghaash watched him head back to the camp and moved slightly to position himself better. His hand landed on something other dirt and foliage and he frowned looking down. He clasped the dirt and picked up the object in his hand and brought it closer to his face. It was on a silver metal chain, some form of jewelry. The object was also a dark silver and almost resembled some type of flower, but it was clearly not. Narghaash thought it an odd but attractive trinket. Sniffing it, he discovered that it smelled distinctly of a female, although the scent was faded. And that's when he remembered seeing this shape in from the image the Wizard had shown him. IT was the same image branded into the females' skin. The clasp on the chain was clearly broken but he bent the metal and tied it so it would stay securely enough. Deciding to keep it and perhaps give it to his younger sister, he fastened the odd symbol around his neck and let it settle against his chest.


The shrill sound of chickens and general hustle and bustle in the morning was difficult to ignore. Groaning, I cracked one eye open and then the other peering over my shoulder to look at the time on my ipad. I blinked not fully awake wondering why it wasn't there for a minute. Oh yea, I was in Middle-Earth now, so much for modern conveniences.

It wasn't even light out yet so I grumbled and rolled over on my pallet on the floor and pulled my pillow made of a combination of leaves and old feathers over my dirty face. I was lucky enough to have a pillow. Déorhild had made one for me and my brother our first week in this nameless village, or as I liked to refer to as hell. Screw Middle-Earth, this was liked being trapped in the Middle-Ages. We were fortunate to have a place to sleep these days.

Déorhild was entirely too kind natured for her own good, but she had a certain wit and humor to her that was refreshing. I was expecting the younger sister of Gléowyn to be a bit more, well more like her to put it in the nicest way possible. I was finding out the more I assumed in this miserable place, the more wrong I was.

"Get up, 'rise and shine' as you say!"

Like now for instance, I had assumed there was still another hour before the sun rose. Sleeping in was a foreign concept to these people, that and late evenings. You woke up and went to sleep along with the sun. It made sense to an extent, since electricity hadn't been invented yet, or even the gas lamp. Or would they be invented? Daniel and I still hadn't figured these things out and we weren't sure if we ever would. We couldn't decide between either being sent to some parallel world, or maybe we were in a part of history that time had simply forgot? Historical records were only so accurate, and if we were living in Middle-Earth some recording of the events had been kept, or Tolkien would never have written about it. But these were all theories and speculations at best.

"Come now, or are you as lazy as my Mother claims?"

With one swift motion I unfurled from my pallet and launched the pillow straight at Heruwyn. She gasped in surprise and glared at me haughtily when it caught her in the stomach.

"That was not funny Brennan!" I smiled cheekily at her and sat up stretching my arms high overhead.

"I sure thought it was." Her face looked like she was truly constipated for a moment before she broke out into smiles and laughter. I laughed with her and ran my hand through her hair as I passed her. I splashed some water from the basin over my face and wiped it with a cloth.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly five. I'm helping Aunt with breakfast. I've nearly finished all of my chores for the morning. You said if I did I could help you check my aunt and her baby today."

"Do I have time to wake up or is your mother going to barge in and drag me by my hair, or even better, grace me with a pail of water?" Which had actually happened once or twice when I hadn't been up before sunrise. She knew not to do that again after I had startled awake and disabled her and nearly frightened her to death. Nevertheless, Gléowyn was a hard woman to intimidate and she threatened me with a similar wake-up call if I wasn't up the next morning on time. I admired her nerve and boldness, despite her surly attitude and I was indeed up and about the next day.

Heruwyn giggled and shook her head negatively. "I am sorry, but she is rather insistent today that you have your breakfast and check Aunt Déorhild. You will have no time for your," her nose wrinkled in concentration, "jay jitzi."

I shook my head bemusedly, "Jiu-jitsu. Is Déorhild alright? Do I need to see her now?"

"No I am certain she is fine. Mother is frantic as Aunt did not sleep through the night. How she knows this I am uncertain."

"You Mother knows everything. I've learned not to question it." I joked and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

Heruwyn placed my pillow back on my pallet and I saw her fold the blankets in my peripheral vision. She smoothed out the sheets and smiled at me. "I am sure Mother thinks similarly of you."

I picked up the only dress I had, gifted to me by one of the elder women in the village. There were moments when I thought it would have been fun to dress up and play pretend, but this wasn't pretend anymore. And now after a few weeks of wearing one dress nearly every day I longed for my washing machine and running water. The simple conveniences of modern indoor plumbing would be most welcome at this point. I was so tired of bathing and washing my clothes in the stream. It was over a mile away and in these lands it wasn't safe to go alone. And other than me, no one was as concerned about hygiene.

"I doubt that."

"Oh, no she thinks you are very smart," she whispered comparatively as if Gléowyn were nearby. I put my hands on my hips and gave her a skeptical gaze. "It is true!" She waved her hands as if it would make me believe her more. "She is always scolding others when they are not heading your health advice." Her voice reached a lower whisper, "I think she is wary to upset you since you put in her in that thing when she threw water on you."

I stifled my laughter and covered my mouth. "A mount, I put her in a full mount." I really hadn't meant to stun her, but I had a black belt in jiu-jitsu and some things were ingrained.

"Yes, well I have never seen Mother so startled!"

"I think we better get going before she starts suspecting us" I teased.

I grabbed the bottom of my night shirt and grimaced feeling the rough material slide against my body. I took the dusty dress I had been wearing for weeks and slid it over my head. It fit well in some areas and in others not so much. It was obvious that the women here had a difficult time maintaining a healthy weight. Food was scarce and the work was physical. You simply expended more energy than you took in. The woman whom the dress had belonged to had been the beloved daughter of the only other healer in the village. A healer who knew more about weeds and herbal remedies than the human body. But I admit, she was a kind older woman and I was excited she had decided to pass along what knowledge she had. Knowing the flora and fauna was going to be essential if I was to live in this land however temporary it was. And it was going to be temporary, just as soon as I figured shit out.

I tightened the bust of the dress a little. Despite malnutrition, women's bust sizes hadn't been affected that was for sure. Boasting a small C cup wasn't anything in comparison to these women. Maybe it was all of the organic stuff they ate? Unfortunately, this woman wouldn't be impressing anyone with her breasts or any other assets anymore. She had been maimed by a stray orc a few months before our arrival. Apparently, there hadn't been enough left of her for a burial. Shaking my head to rid myself of the dark thoughts I finished tying the front and thanked Heruwyn for adjusting the back.

"You did mean it, didn't you?" She asked after she was done. I turned around and gave her a puzzled look. Clearly she had been speaking to me and I had completely zoned out.

"You said I could help with my aunt this morning."

"Oh yes, I forgot."

Her face looked stricken for a moment. "You did not mean it?"

I shook my head and chuckled. "No, I meant it. I just was somewhere else for a moment."

"But we've been here this entire time."

I rolled my eyes. It was entirely too early in the day to start playing this game. Everything I said was odd to these people and I found myself explaining myself left and right. After getting used to my verbal oddities I got labeled eccentric and left alone for the most part. A select few, such as Heruwyn, were still fascinated and wanted to know the meaning behind everything that came out of my mouth. Which was extremely irritating at times and I had to censor a lot of what I said.

Heruwyn, who had seemed like such a spoiled child at first, was one of the few friends I had in this place despite her young age. As I was discovering, death and fear were a constant presence, and moments of joy were few and far between, as was peace. Heruwyn, like those around her, had found a way to defend herself against the chaos. Her haughty attitude was a defense mechanism, one she had honed since discovering that people left, and sometimes they didn't come back. It wasn't the lessen you learned at five years-old when your gold fish died and you flushed him down the toilet or buried him outside. This was very different. In this world people went about their daily work and didn't come back, usually because of orcs. While I had never aspired to work in pediatrics, I dearly loved children, and their resilience always astounded and amazed me.

It reminded me that Daniel and I had arrived at a particularly dangerous time in Middle-Earth. Currently, it was early May of the third age, specifically 3018. Somehow, Daniel and I had managed to land ourselves in the midst of the war for the one ring, or the beginning of the end of the war really. By now, Gandalf had probably already spoken to Frodo about the ring. In a few months Gandalf the Grey would be the prisoner of Saruman the White. Or it would if everything followed Peter Jacksons timeline.

Daniel and my presence were too much of a coincidence to ignore. Our circumstance of how we got here couldn't be explained. Which is why we were biding our time here in the middle of nowhere until we could seek help. We knew little about how to survive in this world and the lands were foreign to us.

It was after many arguments, yelling and a few of our concerned neighbors thinking my brother was intending me harm, to come to a decision.

We decided to stay until Déorhild delivered her baby, and time permitting a week or two after. Our plan was to seek out Gandalf and plead for help from him and Lord Elrond in Rivendell when they would both be there for The Council. We would have to leave long before then to make such a long journey, but we were hoping to have established ourselves enough to trade for a horse and maybe a guide to help us along the way. More than likely we wouldn't find one around here, but we would in Edoras.

The journey to Edoras was going to take a week at most and reaching Rivendell, if everything went smoothly, would be at least a month or two. To reach Rivendell before the 25th of October, when the council would convene, we would need to leave for Edoras in early August to be safe. Hopefully we could stay under the radar and no one would take notice of travelers. I hoped Théoden wasn't yet under Saruman's control. I knew he would be at some point, but I thought highly of his character in the books and the movies and I didn't want to see him suffer.

Planning this trip wouldn't be catastrophic if we had my car. I wondered how long it would take if we had the luxury of going by car? How I longed for modern transportation. I really wish my car hadn't been totaled; I desperately wanted to four wheel drive through Middle-Earth, to hell how it would look. Two months of travelling by foot was ridiculous. Which is why I was really hoping Déorhild would deliver her baby sooner rather than later.

Too bad cesarean wasn't an option. I snorted, true it was convenient, but definitely not safer than a regular vaginal delivery. From what I could tell Déorhild was in the middle of her third trimester, and while most people will tell you pregnancy is nine wonderful months, it's usually about ten months of hell, especially in this place. There was little time to sit and contemplate on the wonders of life and the miracle of birth. Actually I was amazed at how little time she took relaxing. She carried on as if she wasn't pregnant. True, she was slower than before, but for the most part everyone expected her to carry on like normal.

It seemed odd to me, and I wondered why she received so little help from the others in the village. But living here had taught me a few things, some of which I already had learned but not to this extent. There were expectations to meet, and every day was struggle to get the chores done before the sun set, which is why I think Daniel and I were so readily welcomed here. If you didn't milk the cows, or feed the chickens, you eventually wouldn't eat. What you didn't get done today you suffered for tomorrow.

Wash day occurred every other Sunday, I tried to go once a week but it was difficult to find someone who was willing to walk the mile with me. Sometimes I snuck off for an hour and sprinted the distance so I could bathe in the stream and wash clothing.

Daniel was doing considerably well in regards to our new lifestyle. Who could have known that all he needed was old school capital punishment in the form of manual labor to shape up his life. Although, it was a little late for him to start on the road to maturity. My mind drifted to my new job that I hadn't shown up for, or my friends that I hadn't called. Would the world keep turning without us or did it even know we had left?

Dwelling on this never did any good. Daniel said he could tell when I was thinking about home because I brooded. And then he would call me a love struck vampire. His references never ceased to amuse me.

However, this was our reality and there was no way to change it until we could get to Rivendell.

"Brennan?" Heruwyn grabbed my hand.

I blinked and looked down at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

I shook my head and attempted a smile. "Go get my stuff and we'll eat breakfast and see to your aunt."

"Where's Diana this morning?"

I paused. "She's around. She's been spending the night with Daniel the last few days." I tried to keep an even tone when in reality I was really bothered by Diana's sudden favoritism towards him. She was still affectionate but slightly more distant than normal and I couldn't figure out why and it bothered me. It hurt more than being stuck in this pathetic barn. Okay, I really needed to stop judging, and I was starting to depress myself.

Heruwyn stilled briefly but perked up after a moment. "Oh, well perhaps we'll see her later."

She excitedly grabbed my small pack that contained my medical supplies and notes and hurried out the door. I followed her at a more sedate pace stretching my arms above my head.

"Ya, maybe."


When Heruwyn said breakfast what she really meant was a quick bite of mildly stale bread before starting chores. Actual breakfast, the one in which everyone gathered around a table of food, wasn't until nine on the busier days. It was a fun affair typically and included not only the direct household but a few of the surrounding families. There was a large sense of community and extended family in the village. Déorhild cooked two meals, breakfast and dinner for ten people depending on the day. Meals were the times I saw Daniel since he was staying with another family that had volunteered to take him. They were a very sweet elderly couple who had lost their children over the years and had no grandchildren. They treated him as they would a beloved son and after years of my tough love he was happy to have someone coddle him a bit. He worked diligently and was exceptionally devoted to them. Daniel was very considerate and sweet when he wanted to be and I couldn't help but be proud of him.

I entered the main living space and kitchen area following Heruwyn who was doing an excellent job of carrying my things and looking important at the same time. I tried to hide my smile not wanting her to think I was laughing at her for the wrong reasons. She could be very sensitive to teasing depending on the subject.

"Good morning, Brennan." Déorhild smiled stirring a large pot over a fire pit.

I couldn't help but notice her dark circles and pale complexion. Her smile was genuine but slightly strained. She rose to her feet with Heruwyn's assistance and one hand supporting her protruding belly.

"You look a little tired this morning. I hear you didn't sleep well?"

She nodded. "It wasn't too bad really." I restrained from rolling my eyes, but just barely. Déorhild was a very complacent woman and it was a struggle to get anything resembling a complaint from her at times. Since her self-report wasn't exactly reliable, I had to rely on my examinations and her behaviors, and even others opinions of her behavior to paint a picture of what was really going on.

"It was terrible, she couldn't sleep at all." Gléowyn huffed and dropped a bundle of materials on the kitchen table. In fact, I usually had an excess of reports from her family, specifically from her loving and always paranoid sister.

"Really Gléowyn it wasn't-" Déorhild protested lightly.

Her sister glared at her and then I found myself under scrutiny. "She was in pain and sweating through the night."

"Ok, try and relax, let's not make this more stressful." She huffed but quieted. "Difficulty sleeping is normal, and unfortunately it will get a bit harder to sleep until you give birth. Can I have my stethoscope and the blood pressure cuff Heruwyn?" Heruwyn was much more refined with her mother in the room, but just as obedient and eager to please. She handed them to me immediately and with care.

By now they were used to me doing things and were silent as I listened to her heart and respiration rate. After taking her blood pressure I frowned handing the items back to Heruwyn to put in my bag. I leafed through my notebook to record her vitals and noted her baseline. Déorhild's heart rate, respiration and blood pressure were all higher than usual. Her blood pressure had concerned me as did her weight from day one.

With that thought I looked to Heruwyn. "Hand me the measuring tape." Heruwyn opened my bag and passed it to me with care. "I'm just going to measure around your belly, so we can get an idea of the baby's growth."

"You can do that?" Déorhild asked looking puzzled.

"Yep. I'll compare it to the measurement I took two weeks ago. However, it isn't the most reliable. What I wouldn't do to get my hands on an ultrasound."

"Ultrasound?"

I paused momentarily and bit my lip looking at the measurement. She was definitely small for her date and her growth was minimal. "It's um-well a tool that does a bunch of stuff. Haven't seen one in these parts. It's really advanced." I smiled and waved the conversation in a new direction trying to distract her. "Okay how about we do something new today! How does that sound?"

She looked uncertain for a moment. "I'm not sure. I really am feeling much better." She bit her lip and frowned at Gléowyn.

"What is it?" Gléowyn crossed her arms looking tense.

"It's called a non-stress test, nothing crazy. Unfortunately, since I'm not back home I can't perform it as it's intended but it's better than nothing."

"How is it that Gondor has such technologies?"

She definitely had me there. "It's not really Gondor per say. Daniel and I stayed in this other place really far away, like Rivendell far. In fact, I think most of the outcome measures-er, tools I've used were made by elves." Well that was the biggest load of bullshit that had ever come from my mouth. Which was saying something since I've spouted my fair share of bullshit.

"Really? You've really seen elves?" Heruwyn gasped excitedly.

"Yes, but I haven't really spoken to them." Well that technically wasn't a lie. There were many elves in Peter Jacksons theatrical renditions of Tolkien's novels. "They keep to themselves mostly."

"So I've heard." Gléowyn said suspiciously. "Hush now Heruwyn."

"Anyway," I laughed awkwardly, "the baby needs to be awake and up and about for this. It'll take about 25 minutes and I'm just going to monitor the baby's heart rate and feel for movement."

Déorhild rested her hands on her stomach and smiled nervously. "I-I don't think we'll be able to. I think he's asleep."

"No problem. Do me a favor and try to go to the restroom first and then have a bite to eat. That will help wake him up." Her face drained and I smiled reassuringly.

"There is nothing to worry about Déorhild. This is just standard care. Breathe, alright?" She nodded shakily and looked to Gléowyn before slowly getting up from her chair and waddling out of the room.

Déorhild managed to eat some bread when she returned and I monitored the baby as she lay in supine. It took nearly 40 minutes, mostly because I was trying to give the baby every chance possible. The baby was unreactive. Which meant that I still didn't know anything. Something could be wrong, or the fetus could be in perfect health but I would never be able to tell, not without a fetal heart monitor, an ultrasound, an amniotic sample, or other modern test procedures. Not that that always worked accurately anyway. But at least I would have had a better clue. However, more than likely I wouldn't be the one seeing her right now. Back home Déorhild would be monitored properly by experts. I was completely out of my scope of practice. Physical therapists that specialized in pregnancy didn't do this type of testing.

"Okay, we're all done."

Déorhild raised herself up and looked at me. "That took much longer than you said."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Well, what do you have to say for all of that? You put her in enough stress you should at least be able to come up with something." Gléowyn glowered perched on a chair next to her sister.

"I understand that this is difficult for you, but right now as far I can tell we shouldn't be overly concerned at this point." Déorhild looked slightly relieved.

The only problem was that I had reason to be concerned for her and the baby but there wasn't anything I could do without modern medicine or technology. Déorhild been chronically hypertensive since nearly the beginning and without medication there was little I could do. She was small for her date and the fetus was unreactive. Add to the fact that her physique suggested malnutrition and she was at risk for any number of complications. Sometimes I was amazed how often things went right in utero considering everything that could potentially go wrong. This was one of the reasons why I had decided not to work in pediatrics. I was fearful of everything that could go wrong and it stressed me out to maximal proportions.

"I don't want to worry you, but I want to make sure you understand a few things. It is really important, now more than ever, that you gain healthy weight and rest as much as possible. You're still a little under-weight for what I'm comfortable with and we want you to be as healthy as possible for the baby, right? I'm stressing rest, and that means staying off your feet and resting when you feel fatigued. I want you to continue kegals, but nothing that gets your heart racing.

Déorhild nodded looking worried and I smiled patting her knee. "I can give you more of that herbal tea to help you sleep if you want. Is there anything else you need to tell me? Anything at all, any cramping or something else that's bothering you?"

"Well," she looked anxiously at her sister and I waited for her to continue. "I have been having some pains."

"Can you tell me where and describe the pain for me?"

Her cheeks colored spectacularly. "Down, you know."

"What do you-oh! Your lower stomach and groin area?" She nodded slowly. "Does it feel like a squeezing sensation?"

Her eyes widened and she nodded vigorously. "Yes! It's quite painful and other times not at all."

Leaning forward I patted her knee again. "False labor contractions, very normal in the third trimester, which is the later stage of pregnancy."

"I was fearful because before-I mean I just wasn't sure what they were."

"As long as they're irregular it's fine. You know, not constant or happening all the time in a pattern."

Déorhild looked panicked for a moment but she quickly composed herself. I eyed her suspiciously. "Are they consistent Déorhild?"

"Not at all."

"You're sure?" She shook her head vigorously. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

She shook her head yet again and I frowned. "No thank you. I better hurry with breakfast or else we'll all go hungry." I eyed her suspiciously for a moment but tried not to swell on it.

"Oh, can we have sweet buns?" I said trying to lighten the mood. Her sweet buns were the best in the entire world, Middle-Earth or otherwise.

She nodded and smiled. "Of course." She waddled out of the door and my smile faded. "Heruwyn can you go help your aunt for a bit. I wanna talk to your Mom for a second."

Ever eager to please but hesitant in the presence of her Mother, she nodded and hesitated briefly before doing as I'd asked. Gléowyn was suspiciously silent and I glanced at her while putting my things away.

I didn't waste any time. "You're not telling me something Gléowyn. You and Déorhild haven't been telling me something since I got here. I'm doing my best, but my experience is limited and you two aren't helping by keeping things from me. If it concerns Déorhild I need to know."

Her posture stiffened in her seat and said nothing for a moment. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said nothing else and I waited patiently trying my best to express my concern and unsure what else to do. All of my other options would cause undue stress on an expecting Mother and I was worried about both Mother and baby as is.

"Please Gléowyn. I didn't want to tell Déorhild and upset her since I don't have any evidence, but I'm a little worried about the pregnancy."

Her face cracked infinitesimally, and I almost thought she might say something. "As we've said nothing is wrong. You would do well to remember that there are other people here besides yourself." I sighed shaking my head. "If you will excuse me I have work to do and a husband and daughter to care for unlike some people." Ouch, low blow. I guess that was supposed to hurt. It kind of did in some weird way. I suppose her comment may have bothered me more if I had been a product from Middle-Earth and not from what I kept referring to as the "modern world." I would most definitely be labeled an old maid by now if had been born here.

Gléowyn stalked from the room after collecting her supplies from earlier and made sure to look down her nose at me real nice and proper before she left. How kind of her. This place was getting more unbearable by the moment.


Regardless of the warnings and dangers I walked the mile to the stream nearby. It was broad daylight and it was well known that most orc breeds weren't fond of the light. Not that the only dangers in this land were orcs, which is why I had my pistol shoved in a holster around my waist that was meant for a knife. I was carrying some extra laundry in a satchel on my back and it felt nice to be alone for a while. I especially needed to clear my head of Gléowyn and the constant pressures I felt to fit in and be what these people expected of me. Which in all honesty, I'm not sure what that was. For Déorhild and her unborn babe it was a midwife and healer, to my brother a loving and devoted sister. Heruwyn looked to me as one would a mentor or role model, which I'm sure her Mother didn't approve of.

I smirked, it was the tiniest of victories that meant the most. I set my burden down and stretched after reaching the small, but consistently flowing stream surrounded my large foliage. I felt a few of my vertebrae cavitate and sighed in relief. After splashing some water on my face to cool off I started on the laundry.

Most of it wasn't mine. I took out a large shawl and a bar of what passed for soap and began scrubbing in earnest. At least Aggy would be pleased when I saw her later today. Aggy had been helping me learn the about plants and herbal remedies since I came here and it was one of the few things I enjoyed about being here. She was a kind older woman who had lost the last of her family a few months ago. It was easy to tell she had been a mother as she took to mothering me quite often. Aggy's fussing was most welcome. I was alone and scared and I couldn't help but seek and take comfort where I could. And some part of me fell easy into the role of being a daughter figure to her. I suppose it was easier to imagine me as her daughter since I was wearing her dead daughter's dress and all. Apparently that was completely acceptable here. The dead didn't need their things anymore and certain items were difficult to procure way out in the middle of nowhere anyway. Take what you could get.

I rung out the shawl and laid it on rock that looked clean enough to dry for a spell. Laundry was one of the few things I could actually do and not screw up around here. As I was reaching into my parcel there was a slight rustle in the bushes to my left. Suddenly alert my heart increased in pace and I held my breath. The bushes went still, but I decided that taking chances was not in my best interest.

Continuing to reach into the bag I instead turned at an angle so my weapon was concealed. I slipped my pistol from its place at my side and stood as casually as I could. Rapidly, I swung myself around raising my weapon and turning the safety off.

"Who's there?" I demanded. "Show yourself, or I'll fire." Yes Brennan, because that makes complete sense to someone from Middle-Earth. Now they think you'll spontaneously combust.

The bushes rustled once again and I gripped my weapon tighter. I held my breath and waited until a figure jumped out towards me.


"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

~ Buddha


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Next Chapter: In which a secret is revealed.