Author's Note: I've finally gotten out of my writer's block! AGAIN!!!! I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF!!!!!! AGAIN!!!
READ THIS FIRST FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY READ THIS CHAPTER: I've decided to change the last part of this chapter. (to the people who have read this before, that would be after Zez is unconscious) You will also find the last half of the chapter very much like the chapter 'The Riders of Rohan' in the 2nd book. That is because I took some of the lines from it. Please don't kill me. I'm just an author.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings. Anyone who says that I think I do will be burned in chicken oil. :)
"There it is," Merry breathed. A beautiful gate stood before them, like the gates of heaven.
The group finally made it to Rivendell.
"¡Mi Dios! (My God!) " Zez exclaimed. "Es hermoso...(It's beautiful)" Though no one could understand her, they could hear the amazement and wonder in her voice.
They walked forward about a few more feet when about ten Elves jumped from the shadows of the forest, arrows at the ready. One of them shouted to Aragorn in a strange language. Zez was terrified that they were going to shoot at any moment. She quickly made the sign of the cross over her heart.
But then, Aragorn loudly, yet calmly, replied to the attackers in the same tongue. The Elves lowered their bows. Suddenly, the gates opened. Still shaking from fright, Zez followed Strider and the hobbits into the great city.
Almost at once, a tall, old man with long gray hair and a beard walked up to them. To her astonishment, Zez recognized him as Gandalf, the wizard.
She gaped at him for a few seconds as he started telling Aragorn something about Frodo. Gandalf finally noticed her and turned to look at her.
"Who is this?" he asked Aragorn.
"Lady Zezilia," he replied. "She's from...well..."
"I'm from España...Spain," Zez corrected herself. "Am I in Middle Earth? Or am I dreaming?"
"Frankly, child, you and I need to talk. In private, if you please?" Gandalf said to the hobbits, who were eager to find out more of their mysterious acquaintance. Gandalf gently took her arm and led her to a discrete garden. He sat down on a bench and motioned her to sit also.
"Lady Zezilia...you say you're not from Middle Earth..."
"Of course not! I told you, I'm from Spain, on regular Earth," she said, getting a little tense. "I have no idea how I got here or why. I was playing a joke on my enemy and I fell from a tree and suddenly I was here."
"Lady Zezi..."
"It's Zez," she said, a little sharply. Gandalf raised an eyebrow.
"Zez...have you ever heard of Middle Earth before? Do you have any idea what is going on here?" Gandalf asked.
"Si (Yes)," she said. "I've seen..."
"My Lady, you know how to speak Sindarin?" Gandalf said. (A/N: Si in Elvish means 'here')
"¿Qué? I mean...what?" Zez said, baffled. "No. I speak Spanish. You must be mistaken. Si in my language means 'yes'."
"Oh. I have never heard of that tongue," he replied. "Well...what were you telling me?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. I've seen the Fellowship of the Ring. It's a... cómo sey dice (how do you say?)...movie."
"Movie?" Gandalf said, raising his eyebrow again.
"A movie is...well...it's a 'moving painting' I guess," she said. "Anyway, I've only seen the first."
"First what?" Gandalf asked.
"Movie. There are three, but I didn't want to watch the other two. It was too confusing."
"So you know what is going to happen in a few months?" Gandalf said.
"Yes. I can tell you if you want..."
"No!" he said. "It's too risky. You can change the course of Middle Earth's future."
"Oh," she said. "So, how do I get home?"
"I don't know," he said, an apologetic look on his face. Zez sighed.
"I guess I'm going to be here until I wake up or I fulfilled whatever I am here for."
"¿Por qué yo? (Why me?)" she mumbled to herself. "¿Para cuál estoy aquí? Oh, Dios, que deseo ir a casa! (Why am I here? Oh, God, I want to go home!)"
Gandalf didn't hear what she said, but he saw the mournful look in her eyes and said, "My Lady, allow me to ask one of the Elves to find a room for you. You might be here for a while." Zez just nodded. He got up off the bench and walked toward one of the magnificent buildings. She stood up to follow him, when suddenly...she felt extremely dizzy. She swayed, and then her knees buckled.
"Mama," she gasped weakly as her sight closed into blackness. She felt like she was falling. A split second later, she cracked open her eyes in a squint, and only saw everything in a blurry swirl of white. She heard a faint beeping, and a cry of, "¡Mi bebé! (My baby!)", then closed her eyes and again, experienced the feeling like she was falling.
"Riders!" cried Aragorn, springing to his feet. "Many riders on swift steeds are coming towards us!"
"Yes," said Legolas. "There are one hundred and five. Yellow is their hair...what is this?" He shades his eyes. "A figure has just appeared on the ground about two leagues ahead. It's female, I believe. She just appeared out of nowhere, as if the ground spit her up. She's not moving."
Indeed, he saw a figure of a girl sprawled on her stomach. Legolas also saw her dark hair, but he couldn't see her face.
"Let's get to her. She might be injured," said Aragorn as he headed toward the figure in the distance. Gimli and Legolas followed. They hurried toward the girl, their elven-cloaks flapping behind them.
When the three companions reached the girl, Aragorn's eye's widened.
"I know this girl!" he said, kneeling beside her. He gently turned her onto her back. The girl groaned and opened her eyes.
"Ai! ¿Qué está sucediendo? (What is happening?)" said Zez, looking extremely frightened and sat up suddenly. Recognizing the face before her, her blue-gold eyes also widened in surprise. "Ara-Aragorn? ¿Soy parte posteriora en Tierra Media? (Am I back in Middle Earth?)"
"My Lady, you must speak the Common Tongue. I cannot understand you," said Aragorn, his voice softly urging her. But just as Zez opened her mouth to speak, Legolas looked over the hill.
"Aragorn! The riders; they are approaching!" said Legolas. "What are we to do? Stay here, waiting for tidings? Or should we let them pass?"
"Let us stay here. We might find news of the smoke along the orc-trail," he said. "Perhaps they have news of our friends."
"Aragorn, what is going on?" asked Zez. But the Ranger shushed her and wrapped her in his cloak, holding her protectively in his arms.
"Be still," he told her. "The Riders of Rohan are approaching."
If she could turn, Zez would have given Aragorn an odd look. What in the world were the 'Riders of Rohan'? What is Rohan, anyway?
You'll find out soon enough, Zez told herself as she felt the ground tremble as if a hundred horses pounded it.
To her surprise, in minutes, she saw a great host of horses approaching their huddled figures, and then passing them, as if they didn't see a Ranger, a girl, an Elf, and a Dwarf sitting just a few yards from where they rode. Zez couldn't help but wonder why they couldn't see them.
Just as Zez thought they would never see the riders again, Aragorn stood and said in a loud voice:
"What news from the North, Riders of Rohan?"
In seconds, Zez found spears pointed at them. Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn circled themselves around her, shielding her from the weapons.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in this land?" said a tall rider (apparently the leader) sternly.
"I am called Strider," answered Aragorn. "I came out of the North. I am hunting Orcs."
"And you have brought a young maiden along?" said another rider, almost mockingly. The rider was one pointing his spear at Gimli, and could clearly see Zez's head over Gimli's.
"A maiden?" the leader inquired. He commanded the other riders to lower their spears. "Let the girl come forth."
Aragorn glanced at Zez and nodded. He moved aside to let her face the leader of the host of riders.
"What is your name, young lady, and where are you from?" the man asked.
"My name is Zezilia Risa, and I am from Madrid, Spain," said Zez, sounding bolder then she felt. Confused looks passed across the company's faces, including the leader's.
"Is that a city in Gondor?" asked the leader, his eyebrows furrowed together in bewilderment. Zez started to explain, but, once again, she was cut off.
"She was born to a Ranger I know," said Aragorn. "It seems both of her parents have been killed. My companions and I found her wandering these fields."
"I did not know Rangers wedded," said the leader, still uncertain what to make of this meeting. "But, I still must know of your other escorts."
After a long discussion, including a small argument between Éomer (who finally revealed his name) and Gimli, (who was irritated that Éomer thought Galadriel was evil); and impressive performance by Aragorn when he told the Riders that he was 'Aragorn son of Arathorn, and also called Elessar, the Elfstone, Dúnadan, the heir of Isildur Elendil's son of Gondor, etc. etc. etc.'
After a while Zez got bored of the long speeches and studied some of the horses. All had an air of pride, and their eyes had an almost human look in them. Perhaps, if she had listened a while longer, Zez would have found many answers to the questions running through her mind, including what had happened in the second movie, or what was happening now. She knew that Pippin and Merry had been captured by Orcs, and that the three of them were trying to find them, but she did not hear the part whereas Éomer told Aragorn that they had slain every Orc that they had been hunting, and had burned their bodies. They also did not know of the two young Hobbits.
After about what felt like an hour, (people in Middle Earth talk too much) Zez realized that the talking had ceased. Two horses were being brought over; a large dark-grey horse and a smaller one with lighter coloring.
"Legolas, you take this lady, and Gimli will ride with me," said Aragorn. He mounted the horse and Gimli was lifted up reluctantly behind him, tentative to the fact that he was riding a horse, and displeased that he had the discourtesy of being lifted.
As Zez was lifted up behind Legolas, she felt a rebellious satisfaction thinking of what Carmen's face would look like at this moment.
"Farewell, and may you find what you seek!" cried Éomer. "Be ware of this maiden. If I could, I would have brought her to Edoras. But, alas! I am banished. It would be folly if I step foot in the Golden Hall again." He ended with a look of pain in his face.
"Farewell, Éomer Éomund's son!" said Aragorn. "Perhaps we may meet again, and draw swords together."
Éomer nodded, and then commanded the Rohirrim to part. The horses of Rohan are extremely swift, and in a minute, the entire company was distant and small. Almost immediately after, the four rode off towards the borders of the Entwash. Zez clung to Legolas, who had asked for the removal of the rein and saddle. She wasn't the most comfortable person in the world; Middle Earth or her Earth.