Hey readers!
As promised, here's chapter one, and the beginning of an adventure! Enjoy!
An Unintended Visitor:
"Wake up, noble brother," Barley said, yanking the blanket off his younger brother's bed. Adventurous and a lover of historical and magical stories, while being the older sibling by three years, he was anxious to start the day early. "Saturday is upon us, and adventure awaits!" He frowned when he saw, instead of his brother, a crude pile of pillows meant to imitate his brother.
"GOT YOU," Ian yelled, jumping from the closet and nearly tackling his older brother. The sixteen-year-old elf was thin and wiry, like their dad, with a mop of curly blue hair on his head. Before their first adventure, he'd struggled with being confident, but now became more so with every passing day, though it took some encouragement every now and then. "What took you so long? I've been up since six!"
"Looks like someone's ready for today's lesson," his older brother grinned. "Mom's got breakfast downstairs."
"Race you!" The younger Lightfoot took off, quickly followed by his brother, and the race ended with both of them tripping over Blazey, their pet dragon.
"Seriously, you two," their mom chastised, helping them to their feet. "You're gonna get hurt running like that!"
"Sorry, mother," Barley apologized, giving her an exaggerated bow as the dragon ran off into the backyard, where its lair was. "We are off to the park today."
"So I heard," she replied, smiling and holding up two sack lunches. "Be back by dinner?"
"Of course," Ian replied, taking the bags as his brother quickly ate a bowl of cereal. "C'mon, let's go!" He raced out of the kitchen before anyone could answer, grabbing the van keys and magic staff on the way out.
Their mom laughed a little. "I'm so glad he's becoming more confident," she said. "You've made quite an impression on him."
"I live to serve," her son replied, finishing his cereal and giving her a quick hug. "Call us when you want us back?"
"Sure. Stay safe, and don't do anything crazy! Remember to call Correy or Colt if something goes wrong!"
"You know us," he grinned, walking out the door to where Guinevere the Second was parked, already turned on with Ian in the driver's seat. "Move over; I'm driving!"
"Aw, I just got my license," Ian replied, but slid into the passenger seat, grabbing his staff from behind his chair. "Should we go the path less trod, my good sir?"
"Agreed, Iandore the Wizard," his brother said triumphantly, pulling the van out into the street and heading west.
...
The park was located just outside New Mushroomton, and was specifically reserved as a natural wildlife preserve. They steered clear of the wild unicorn part and headed towards a forest with towering oaks, whose leaves were green and full of life, despite it being October. A few families were there, enjoying the free day, so the two brothers headed towards a secluded campsite the woods, allowing them to practice in peace.
"Let's get started," Barley said, bringing out a small stack of books from the back of the van. "These're from the university library one town over-"
"You went to a library," Ian asked, surprised.
"Hey! I know how to check out books! I was already there for a college tour. Anyway, I figured, since you've already mastered all the spells in Quest of Yore, I thought a few history books might have a spell you could learn."
"Awesome," the younger elf said, opening one and flipping through the pages. "Geez, this thing is ancient! How'd you manage to check it out?"
"Well… I may have taken it from the reference section… accidentally?"
He gaped at his brother. "You stole it?!"
"SHH!" He looked around, as if worried a bush might hear them. "Technically, borrowed without knowledge or permission."
"That's the definition of stealing!"
"I'm gonna return it once you've learned a few spells."
"This is insane," Ian replied, a little bit of his old fearful self present in his voice. "What if you get caught?"
"I won't get caught; it was covered in dust when I found it, so who's gonna be looking for it anytime soon? Look," he continued, "if it makes you feel better, we can drop it off tomorrow morning. Okay?"
Ian sighed; his brother could be intense at times, but he trusted him. "Fine, but first thing tomorrow morning."
"Of course. We could go there by the Path of a Thousand Trials!"
His brother laughed, the fear vanishing. "Fine. Since we have it, we might as well check it out!"
They spent the rest of the day going through the books, trying out various spells that they found. Some were ones that they knew already, but they found new ones, like spells to swap voices [it was funny hearing Barley talk in Ian's higher-pitched voice], to make water appear, and even to make a small fort out of earth. They also practiced spells they already knew, the two of them laughing as Ian lifted Guinevere the Second into the air with a levitation spell. Before they knew it, it was an hour before sunset, and they were getting ready to leave.
"One more spell," the older Lightfoot asked. "Please? There must be something in one of these books we haven't seen yet!"
"I doubt it," Ian said. "I mean, we went through those books backwards and forwards, and-"
"Woah," his brother interrupted, pulling out a small folded piece of parchment from the back of the reference book. "What's this?" It didn't look like part of the book, and was sealed with a wax seal in the shape of a 'T.'
"Let me see," the younger Lightfoot asked, taking the paper and unfolding it, scanning the words. "It's… a portal spell?"
"Awesome! We can travel anywhere in the world in an instant, and-"
"No, it's a spell that only takes you to one place." He looked up. "To another world. A non-magical world."
"A non-magical world," Barley asked, taking the paper from his brother and reading it. "Why would anyone wanna go to a place with no magic?"
"I dunno, but we probably shouldn't cast it; it seems too dangerous."
"Why not? It's still a portal spell; how cool is that?"
"And what if we get trapped in this non-magical world? How would we get back with no magic? And we don't know what its like or who lives there."
"We don't have to go through it," his older brother protested. "We could just… look through it and see what it's like."
"Seriously, we shouldn't," Ian said, taking the paper back. "I mean, look at this spell; how would you even pronounce it?"
"Like this," Barley replied, reading the spell with flawless pronunciation.
"How did you do that?"
"What? I've had a lot of practice. You try."
"Forget it, Barley. I'm not gonna say-" He repeated the same spell as his brother, the end of his staff lighting up with a deep blue light. However, neither brother noticed it. "-just to prove that I can!"
"Aw, c'mon, bro! We've defeated a dragon; this should be a cake walk compared to that!"
"We don't know what kind of world this portal leads to," Ian continued as a few leaves started to swirl a few feet away, still unnoticed. "I mean, what if there's monsters on the other side?"
"Then we slay them," his brother said rationally.
"If there's no magic in their world, how would we kill them? With this magic stick that's not gonna work in their-" He held up the staff, stopping as he saw the blue glow. "Wait, why's it doing that?"
"Did you say the spell while holding the staff," Barley asked.
"Uh… yeah?" The two turned, finally noticing the swirling vortex of leaves next to them, slowly getting taller and more powerful.
"AAH," they screamed, ducking behind a fallen log as the vortex picked up speed, sending a strong wind through the clearing. Leaves were scattered everywhere, and the tree branches around them rustled, almost deafening the two elves.
"How do I stop it," Ian asked, panicking at the sight of the swirling leaves.
"Just stop focusing on the spell and it should dissipate," his brother yelled back.
"Okay… stop focusing on the spell." However, he now couldn't help but think of the spell [stupid reverse psychology], and the vortex grew, nearly pulling the van into its center.
"Ian, stop it," the older Lightfoot yelled.
"I CAN'T!" In desperation, he tossed the staff away from them and the vortex. It hit a tree and fell to the ground, the blue glow disappearing. Suddenly, the vortex froze, the wind dying as the tall trail of leaves slowly started to fall.
"I… I guess that worked," Ian said shakily, standing up and walking over to the staff. "I'm just glad we stopped the spell before it sucked us in."
"Who cares about us," Barley said. "Guinevere the Second nearly got taken!"
"Really? You're more concerned about a car than our lives?"
"Hey! I've already lost her once, and I'm not planning on losing her again!"
"Okay," the younger Lightfoot said, turning towards his brother. "Let's just-" He froze, staring at something over his brother's shoulder, a scared expression on his face. "Uh… Barley."
"What?"
"I… Don't turn around, but I think… the spell might have brought something from that other world." However, the older brother immediately turned around, gaping at what his brother saw.
The leaves from the vortex had fallen, but someone, something, stood in its place. At first glance, it looked like an elf, given the clothes and anatomy, but they were quick to see it wasn't one. It didn't have pointed ears, blue skin or hair, or a large nose. Instead, it had skin the color of a peach, a mop of brown hair, and rounded ears. It appeared to be a teenager, like themselves, given the jeans, t-shirt and flannel shirt it wore; it even had a backpack on its back. It was currently blinking in the sunlight coming through the trees, looking around with confusion.
"What…" Ian said. "What is it?"
"I dunno," Barley replied.
Whatever it was, it looked over at them suddenly, probably hearing their comments. It froze, gaping at the two elven brothers for a solid five seconds, and they at him. Then, as if given an invisible cue, all three of them screamed at the same time.
...
The thing from the vortex stumbled back, slipping on the leaves and landing on his back, still trying to get away. All three of them were still screaming, the shrill noise echoing through the forest.
"WHAT IS IT," Barley yelled, scrambling away from the thing and hiding behind his younger brother, since he was the only one with a weapon.
"I DON'T KNOW," Ian yelled back, pointing the staff at it, though his hands were shaking with fear; he doubted he'd be able to defend them even if it did attack.
The thing stopped when its back hit a tree, taking a break from screaming to breathe, looking at the two of them with shock. It also appeared to be shaking with fear, holding out its hands in an effort to protect himself. It didn't appear to be attacking them, and had no visible weapons. The younger Lightfoot aimed his staff at it, and saw that it cowered in fear at the weapon, making him pause.
"Wait… I think it's scared," Ian said to himself, taking a cautious step forward.
"What're you doing," his brother whispered.
"You wanted to see what was on the other side of the portal," he whispered back.
"I changed my mind," he hissed. "Send it back!" However, his brother continued to walk forward, switching the staff to one hand and pointing it away from whatever it was. It gave him a look of fear and a small whimper, but didn't scream again or try to run.
"Uh… hello," Ian said, giving the creature a small wave with his free hand. "We… we come in peace?"
"Really," his brother called from behind the log. "You think it's gonna understand that?"
"H-Hi," the thing suddenly said, it's voice shaking a little as he spoke up. "I… I come in peace too."
The two elves gaped at him; he spoke English. How did he know English? "Hi," the younger brother replied. "I'm Ian, and Mr. Scaredy Dragon over there is my brother Barley."
"Hey," the older elf called out indignantly. "I'm not scared! I'm just… looking at soil samples." Ian rolled his eyes at that; his brother may be smart when it comes to historical and magical lore, but not coming up with excuses.
"I'm Peter," the teenaged whatever said. "Are… are you gonna eat me?"
"Why would we eat you," the younger Lightfoot asked, confused.
"I…" The human sat up, lowering his hands, but still looking wary. "Isn't that what you guys do? I mean…" He looked at the two brothers. "Aren't you guys monsters?"
"What? Monsters?" Barley finally plucked up the courage to walk over to the two teens. "Dragons and unicorns are monsters. Gelatinous cubes are monsters. We're not monsters; we're elves."
"Elves? Like… from fairy tales?"
"Fairy tales? We're fairy tales in your world?"
"Your world," the thing repeated. "I'm not on Earth?"
"What's an Earth," Ian asked.
"The planet I'm from," he replied. "It's where all the humans live."
"A human," Ian asked, right as Barley gave a gasp of recognition.
"A human," the older elf said, face full of awe. "They are real! I thought they were just a myth!"
"What," Peter asked, slowly standing up, still looking wary of the two brothers. "You know about humans?"
"I read about them in Quest of Yore Volume 23," the older brother explained. "They're supposed to be these mysterious creatures from another world, but I thought they were just legend! No one knows what they look like!" He looked the human up and down. "You're not that impressive."
"Thanks," the teenage human said, hugging his arms and staring at them with a slightly scared look.
"What my brother's trying to say," the younger Lightfoot said, "is that he's really into fantasy history stuff, and it appears that you're a subject in our fairy tales."
"Wow… that's crazy," Peter said. "And you guys are… elves? I mean, you guys have pointed ears, so I guess that makes sense."
"Elves have pointed ears in your world?"
"Yeah. They're pretty popular in fantasy books; The Lord of the Rings especially." He paused, looking around the clearing. "Uh… Where am I?"
"New Mushroomton Wildlife Reserve," the older Lightfoot replied.
"Mushroomton," the human repeated, looking around the forest surrounding them. "This definitely isn't Earth."
"Yeah, this must be crazy for you," Bailey said, giving him a small grin. "We've never been transported form another world. What was it like?" Ian rolled his eyes; leave it to his brother to ask a creature from another world what going through a portal was like.
"Well," Peter started, "it was very windy. And there were a lot of leaves. I was just on my way home from school when-" He stopped, suddenly realizing something. "How do I get back to Earth? How'd I get here?"
The two elven brothers exchanged quick looks as Ian unconsciously hid the staff behind his back. "Well… that's kinda our fault… There was this spell, and we may have accidentally brought you here." He finished it with a weak smile, trying to show how sorry he was.
"You what," the teenaged human asked, gaping at them. "Well send me back! Do the spell or counterspell thing and send me back!"
"What… sure," Ian said, picking up the parchment paper from where it had fallen to the ground. "Sorry about this, by the way. I'm still trying to figure out how this magic stuff works."
"I understand, but I'd rather be back home, if it's okay with you guys."
"Of course," the younger Lightfoot said, holding up the parchment to read the spell. "Sorry again."
"Though for all it's worth," Barley spoke up, "it was pretty cool to meet a human."
"And it was pretty cool to meet elves," Peter said. "Even if I'm just dreaming… Well, send me back!"
"Okay," Ian said, holding up his staff in one hand as he prepared to cast the spell. "Here goes!" He said the spell, but instead of the staff glowing blue, it suddenly shot out a gold beam of energy that struck the parchment, burning it. Not expecting that to happen, the elf gave a cry of surprise and dropped the burning paper. The pieces of burning parchment fluttered to the ground, nothing but ash by the time it hit the leaves.
The three teens stared at it in shock, another silence falling upon the group. The smell of burned paper was in the air, and they slowly looked at one another.
"Um," the human said, his hands shaking a little. "I may not be an… expert on magic or whatever that was… but I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to do that."
"And now the spell's destroyed," Barley said, gaping at the ashes pile.
"WHAT?!" Peter ran forward, poking through the pile of ashes for some sign of paper. "No no no no no it can't be destroyed! It can't be-" He stood up, looking at them with a panicked expression. "Hit me."
"What," Ian asked.
"Punch me or something and wake me up from this crazy nightmare!" He was starting to breathe quickly, his eyes filled with fear. "I don't know who you two are or where the hell I am, but I wanna wake up NOW!
"Look," the younger brother said, trying to calm everyone down, "we're not just gonna-"
"I'll do it," the older elf said, punching the human in the face and knocking him to the ground.
"Holy emeralds, Barley," Ian yelled as the teenage human held his face, slowly standing up again.
"What, he asked us to," he replied, shrugging. "Besides, it was worth a shot."
"Why…" The human looked around again, his breathing still panicky. "Why aren't I awake? Why can't I wake up?!" He shook his head. "No… this can't be real! This can't be real! I am NOT in some fantasy world with elves and magic and I am NOT trapped here because they destroyed the spell!"
"I… I think you might be," the younger elf said apologetically.
The teen looked up at him with a shocked expression, frozen in place. Then, as if a switch flipped, he suddenly leaped forward and tackled Ian to the ground. His staff flew from his hands as Peter tried to punch him.
"SEND ME BACK," the teenage human screamed, looking quite demented. "SEND ME BACK TO EARTH!"
"GET OFF HIM," Barley yelled, yanking the human off of his brother and throwing him back. The human stumbled and fell as Ian got to his feet, reaching for his staff. Standing up straight, the teen tried to tackle him again but was stopped by the older Lightfoot.
"LET ME GO," the human yelled, trying to break free.
"CALM DOWN," the older elf yelled, slamming him to the ground. "We're gonna try to figure out how to get you home, but you gotta SHUT UP SO WE CAN THINK!"
"I WON'T SHUT-" He was silenced as Ian swung the staff down, hitting him in the chest, turning his yells into wheezes.
"Stand back," the younger elf ordered, and his brother stood back as he aimed the staff at the human, muttering a spell. Instantly, the human was bound head to foot in ropes, along with a gag in his mouth. He screamed into the gag, wriggling around on the ground like a crazy worm.
"I told you he was dangerous," Barley said. "And now he's trapped here!"
"No, he's just scared," Ian said. "We'd probably do the same thing in his shoes." He looked at the pile of ash. "What do we do now? We don't have the spell to return him home, so how do we-"
"Maybe there's another copy in the book," Barley said, grabbing the book and quickly flipping through it.
"I don't think it was part of the book." He pointed at the page. "The parchment was different, and the spell was written on a loose-leaf paper."
"Well we can't just leave him here," his brother told him as the human teen continued to wriggle around on the ground. "If someone finds him, what's he gonna tell them? They could put him in jail or a zoo if they think he's an animal, and we could get in trouble for bringing him here!"
"I don't know," the younger elf said. "I don't-"
A phone ringing cut off their conversation, and Ian checked his phone, seeing it was their mom.
"Uh oh," he muttered, answering the phone and bringing it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hi, honey," his mom's voice said. "How're things going? Are you on your way home?"
"Uh…" He looked over at the human, who looked back at him with a scared expression. "Y-Yeah," he lied, unable to keep the nervous crack out of his voice.
"Are you okay? Is something wrong? I swear if either of you got hurt or turned into a lamp-"
"Everything's fine. Just… finishing up training."
"Aww, my little wizard," she said happily. "Make sure you leave in the next few minutes; Colt's coming over for dinner."
"What," he replied, looking up at Barley with a panicked expression.
"He got this afternoon off, so I invited him over," she told him. "Now come on home you two! I can't wait to hear all about your day!" She hung up after that, and the teenaged elf let his hand fall.
"So… Colt's coming for dinner," he said evenly, putting his phone in his pocket. "And mom wants us home now."
His older brother looked like he'd been punched in the face. "And we've teleported a human into our world with no way of sending him back." They both turned to face the tied up teen, who looked at both of them with a mixture of fear and confusion, silently asking the same question they were all thinking.
What do they do now?
So now Ian and Barley have accidentally snatched a human from our world, and now have to get him home. What's their mom gonna say when and if she finds out? How's Peter gonna take this new world he finds himself in? You'll have to keep reading this tale to find out!
That's chapter one! Feel free to follow or favorite this story to be updated on new chapters, and feel free to leave a review on this chapter or others if you want. And, as usual, have a safe and happy week/weekend!
-aggiefrogger
I do NOT own Lord of the Rings at all!
Also, a quick PSA: PLEASE DO NOT DO STUPID STUFF AND GO OUTSIDE UNNECESSARILY AND SPREAD GERMS DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC! Seriously, you guys are awesome, and while being sick gives you more time to read fanfiction, it's not good for you or your loved ones. Thank you.
-aggiefrogger