A/N: Here's the next chapter! It's probably not that big of a surprise, since you might have already guessed what was going to happen. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it :)

Chapter 12: Another Official Enemy

"Take a seat."

Kelsie cautiously sat down on a chair and absentmindedly placed her hands on the table. She didn't know why, but her hands always had to be doing something when she was nervous, even if they were fists.

"Do you know why I've called you here?"

Umm...probably because somebody was a tattletale and wanted to tell on me for trying to save the world. Kelsie roughly shoved her thoughts to the back of her brain and shook her head instead.

Eomer sighed and hesitated for a moment, pondering over how he should speak to her. "My guard, Grimmund, has just reminded me of the conditions of which you must conquer in order to join this quest."

Kelsie could feel frustration gnawing at her. Why did Grimmund just have to prevent her from doing what she thought was right? She opened her mouth to argue, but closed it just before her voice could sound. She had forgotten that she was in the presence of the king. Keeping her anger inside, she nodded for him to continue.

"First off, Grimmund and I don't think it is safe for you to go on this quest, seeing as it is full of danger. The other men in the group, also including your friends, Legolas and Gimli, are experienced fighters."

Here, Kelsie felt a stab of hurt, along with guilt. She now completely understood what he meant, but she could help but feel a bit offended. No, a lot offended. After all, she was the one who discovered the shadows, rescued Legolas, and found the way to stop the shadows. And King Eomer was still underestimating her.

But at the same time she did feel a little bad for thinking of Grimmund as an enemy. Perhaps he actually cared about her safety and was trying to help her the whole time. Maybe the whole 'glaring with hatred' thing was just a ruse.

King Eomer gave no sign of hesitation as he continued. "I have heard of the great tasks you have accomplished. I know it was you who discovered and alerted us of the shadow, and I must thank you for that. But are you sure you want to take on this quest?"

Kelsie did not know how to respond. She didn't want to go against the king's wishes, but she also didn't want to miss out on such an exciting opportunity. To be honest, she actually liked the idea of danger.

Just then, another memory floated back to her. Without warning, the world started to swirl before her eyes. Everything started to change its form until there was nothing left of the room. Instead, she was lifted off the ground and carried to a new scenery. It wasn't long before she found herself in an unexpected flashback.

As her feet hit the ground, the first thing she saw was grass. Plain, green grass. Yet, it was a shock to her, seeing that she had been in Middle-Earth, Edoras, talking with King Eomer, just a moment ago.

Her head felt dizzy and lightweighted, like as though she had just ridden a roller coaster. Her vision was also slightly blurred, so her eyes strained to adjust to the bright light. She took a moment to calm down, before lifting her head.

Kelsie was back in the park, the last place she had been in before she went to Middle-Earth.

The shock hit her like bolt of lightning. She had no idea why she had been summoned back here, and she had no idea how she even got here, but here she was, back in her homeland, where she had last left off. Her mind raced with panic to figure out what, exactly, this was, but like usual, she couldn't think. Surely she hadn't failed the quest, already?

Suddenly, a pinecone whizzed past her. Or more like, through her. Confused, Kelsie looked at her hands, only to find them semi-transparent. Like a really dense ghost. The thought that she might be dead immediately struck fear in her, but she pushed it away.

That was when she noticed the sleeve of her outfit. It was brownish green, like a mingle of spring and autumn leaves, unlike the modern blue jacket she last wore here. She took in the rest of her outfit, and to her surprise, it was her elvish one from Middle-Earth. Even her hair was still in the auburn-brown shade, with the long front strands pinned back by those two golden clips.

That was when she realized that she was actually stuck in a flashback.

Kelsie looked around, but before she could spot anyone, she heard a loud voice ring out. She whipped her head around to see a blur whizz right past her, only a few centimeters away from her. She staggered backwards, even though there really wasn't any need to. Instantly, she realized that the blur was actually Julie.

"I'll get you back for this, Kelsie!" Julie yelled, running to a distant figure with pinecones in her arms.

Now, Kelsie could also see Alice, her arms also full of pinecones. Alice had stopped laughing, and turned to flee, while Julie selected a particularly large pinecone, and threw it at her, missing completely. Kelsie grinned, remembering all the good times she had with them. It almost made her wish she was back here, finished with the complete, poem-free version of the book, now joining the competition of pinecones.

She suddenly realized how much she really missed Earth. Sure, adventures in Middle-Earth did sound exciting, but she would never forget the world she belonged in. Seeing her friends like this, unable to see her, already pained her much. She wondered what had happened after she was gone. Would they be worried, or would they think she was playing a prank on them?

Kelsie was rooted to the spot, thinking of all the possibilities, when another voice sounded to her right. Snapping back to "present", she looked down to see Sunny holding her phone. "Kelsie! Want to watch Anime with me?" Sunny called, glancing up.

Instinct kicking in, Kelsie started to answer "No thanks", but another voice mixed in with hers.

The exact same voice.

Kelsie looked up to see herself, propped up against a tree, holding a book in her lap. Her human self was wearing the blue jacket, dark jeans, and black running shoes, and her black hair was carelessly brushed in front of her ears, the rest being covered by a hood that also shadowed her dark brown eyes. It was wonder that they were the same person, seeing how different they looked now. But despite all those differences, they still showed some resemblance.

"Sorry, Sunny, I'm kinda busy trying to read right now," her human self answered.

Kelsie felt tears coming to her eyes - the more she stayed here, the more she missed Earth. And it was particularly heart-wrenching to see herself living a so far normal life in the world she had always known.

"Okay, but you have to promise that you will watch Anime with me after you're done reading," answered Sunny.

Kelsie could tell that her human self was trying hard not to facepalm as she spoke. "Fine, I promise."

Knowing what was going to happen next, Kelsie crossed over to where her human self sat reading. Although it was a bit awkward to stand by herself, she still stayed and watched as past-Kelsie flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning through the lines.

Kelsie's dread grew with every minute. She knew that the moment was coming soon and there was nothing she could do about. The pages would suddenly be blank, the poem would be discovered, the book would glow, and she would be gone, whisked off to another world.

And so she waited for a little longer, trying to be patient while her past self continued to read. During that time, her tension grew denser and denser. She did fear what was going to happen, but she was also getting a little impatient.

Finally the pages went blank, and Kelsie watched as her past self frantically flipped the pages to the last page. Even though this was completely expected, she still felt nervous to read, just like her past, human self. So she reread the poem, along with herself, this time, making sure to memorize it word for word, since she was sure it would come of more importance later.

With the buzz in the atmosphere increasing, Kelsie waited with complete impatience for the book to start glowing. Now that she thought about it closely, being in this flashback/daydream/vision wasn't much different than watching a video of her past being replayed. Except that she was the main character in that video, and that she already knew what was going to happen. And when the book finally started to glow, Kelsie could only share in the excitement of the main character.

But it wasn't long before she noticed that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Instead of seeing the book just glow, it seemed to be...expanding. The white light radiating from the book expanded over the book itself, overlapping everything around it.

Kelsie gasped and took a step back. She looked at her human self, and to her disappointment, she just sat there, holding the book like a statue. A wave of fear swept over her - this was not part of what was supposed to happen!

The glow was expanding so much that it started to cover the whole scenery, devouring everything in its way. Kelsie watched in dismay as it spread over her human self, leaving her completely alone. The laughter of her friends was muffled, until it fell away from her elf ears entirely. She glanced down at her own feet, and to her horror, she saw that she was standing on top of the white glow. She could not longer feel the solid ground beneath her feet. Instead, it felt like she was standing on a layer of air that threatened to break and dump her into whatever was below. It was scary enough, she knew.

Suddenly, just as she was about to turn and run, it all ended. All the light went away, as if it had all been an illusion. She found herself lifted off her feet as the vision melted into nothing.

But before it disappeared completely, she heard a deep, mystical voice.

"We shall meet tonight."

Kelsie blinked open her eyes. Her everything seemed like a mix of color, and she felt like she had slept for a hundred years. Around her, she could hear a confusion of voices chattering urgently, but everything was a blur.

Her hand mindlessly went up to her eyes. After a quick rub, her vision cleared, and she could almost see every figure cleared.

King Eomer was there, and so were Legolas and Gimli. The two seemed to heatedly discussing something, while King Eomer happened to be pacing, his heavy boots making loud, dignified taps as he walked by. She then turned and saw Grimmund standing somewhere in a shadowed corner, a strange look on his face.

Kelsie groaned and sat up in her seat, where she had been slouching. She tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness swept over her, making her grasp the table for support. Immediately, all heads turned to her at the sound. She could swear she heard a gasp among them.

"Ah! Finally you are awake!" Legolas walked over and helped her sit up. "What were you thinking, falling asleep during a conference with the king?" Amusement glinted in his eyes, but Kelsie could tell that there were worry and suspicion behind them.

"Wha - No, I wasn - ," she was cut off by another voice.

"Nice to see you awake!" Gimli came over and thumped her on the back, nearly knocking her off the chair. "I must say that it was very brave of you to fall asleep in front of the king. I don't think anyone else has managed to do that!" He chuckled as if she had done something hilarious, but again, Kelsie could sense something dark and serious under his merriment.

Before she could speak, another voice interrupted her again, but this time, it did not bring comfort. "My lord, perhaps you have now seen the reason why I suggest you don't bring her along. If she had fallen asleep during a time of danger, it would bring much more direness than now."

Kelsie glared as Grimmund strode from his hiding place, holding his head up high. Any guilt that lingered with her was gone, again replaced by hatred. She could hear, and almost see, the contempt in his voice - he was enjoying the hobby of humiliating her. And also ruining her plans to save the world.

King Eomer stopped pacing and turned to face his guard, thinking over what he had just said. He nodded slowly and turned to face Kelsie. She held his gaze steadily, but on the inside, she was actually trembling in fear.

"I am afraid Grimmund is right. It would probably be best if you remain here, under my guard, until you are well enough. I know you wish to accompany them on the quest, but this may prove to be a little too dangerous for you," he finally concluded.

"But I didn't mean to...fall asleep, if that's what you mean," Kelsie tried to persuade him. "I just want to do what's best for everything."

King Eomer sighed, as though he half regretted his choice. "I have already decided that I want you to stay here. You have already done your part."

Kelsie wanted so desperately to yell at Grimmund, but she restrained herself for the zillionth time that day. He's not even worth my yelling, she thought, as an excuse for not unleash all her anger. Yet, she still couldn't keep the dangerous glint of fury from creeping into her pale eyes. The one glint that contained a good part of her anger portrayed itself on her face, making the four warriors flinch under her furious gaze. Even King Eomer looked like he was about to change his mind and hastily ask her to join.

But before things could get any more intense, she forced herself to cool down. Slumping back down in defeat, she attempted nod respectfully to the king. "As much as I want to go, I must respect your wishes and obey you for I am currently under your command."

"Good," the king nodded. "Now that you are seemingly well enough, I would like us all to go back, for I have, yet, another announcement to make."

Kelsie let Legolas help her from her seat, and they all walked back to the throne room in silence. She hoped that Grimmund wouldn't announce that she had "fallen asleep" while talking to the king. She knew that he wouldn't be able to as long as the king was watching, but who knows, he could be very sneaky sometimes. As they emerged back into the throne room, Kelsie felt a prick of unease, knowing that most of the eyes would be on her.

"Tonight, we will be hosting a feast in honor of the quest. As the chosen warriors destined to bring us light through the shadows, I would like to invite all of you to come join me before you set out tomorrow."

Kelsie could feel excitement in the air. A feast was always good news, and a feast with the king was an honor.

"When I say 'all of you', I also include the young, courageous elfling, Kelsie, who discovered and alerted us of the shadow. Even though she might not be coming on this quest, we will continue to honor her for all the good deeds she has done."

As he said this, several of the soldiers bowed to her in recognition, but others remained expressionless, like as if they didn't believe an elfling could do so much. Kelsie merely ignored the expressionless ones as she dipped her head in thanks. "Thank you, your majesty."

Soon, the three of them exited the building while the other guards stayed behind to discuss matters with the king. Once they were back on the road to their rooms, Legolas turned to Kelsie, eyes full of concern.

"So what really happened there?" he inquired. "I know there's something you're not telling me."

Kelsie hesitated for quite a long time. This wasn't information she could give away easily and not get any consequences out of it. Her very life could depend on it. Like what would their reaction be if they found out that she was from another world?

"Well...I don't really know...," she muttered absentmindedly. But she knew it was a weak excuse. Whenever she said "I don't know", it got more obvious that there was something she was hiding.

"You got nothing to fear from us, Kelsie," said Gimli, rather confidently. "Unless you just wanted to prank all of us by falling asleep on purpose."

"No, no I wasn't! I was not asleep," Kelsie hastily crammed those few words in the few seconds. If it was a flashback or vision, then it was true, but if it was a daydream, then it wasn't entirely true. But she doubted the second possibility - the voice had said something about meeting tonight, and it could be true.

"We just want to help you," said Legolas. Kelsie looked into his eyes - they were full of concern and trust. "You can trust us."

Kelsie sighed inwardly. They would never understand. In fact, she didn't even understand what that vision was about our why it even occurred during that time. It was particularly unlucky, she thought.

As Kelsie's mind lingered more on the flashback, she started to realize how much she really missed her friends. During the past few days, she had gotten so used to the ways of Middle-Earth that she had forgotten parts of her old life. She was glad that she had made some good friends in Middle-Earth, but they would never be the same as Alice, Julie, and Sunny. It almost made her want to give up the quest and go back through the portal - if there was one - just to see her friends and family, again. She wondered what she would be doing right now if she hadn't been pulled into this world. After all, she was born a human in Earth, United States, California, not an elfling in Middle-Earth, Mirkwood.

"Kelsie?" Legolas' voice wafted back to her, jolting her mind out of its thoughts. "Are you listening?"

"Oh, yes," she answered briskly. "Just wrapped up in some thoughts."

"So are you going to tell us what really happened?" Gimli asked. Or rather demanded to know what the answer was.

Kelsie sighed out loud this time. They were never going to stop pestering her until she spilled the beans. "Let's just say that I randomly found myself in a flashback of my past."

Legolas opened his mouth to say more, but luckily, Kelsie was saved.

"Hey! I see our rooms!" she called. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going in." Eager to get away from the conversation, she bolt straight to her room, flinging open the door and locking herself inside.

"Don't forget about the feast!" Gimli called after her. When he received no response, he turned to Legolas and shrugged. "Wonder what's gotten into her this time."

A/N: YOU SHALL NOT PASS WITHOUT A REV - Whatever, just please review. I really hope you review, but even if that's too hard, you can still continue reading the story :)