Fantasy became reality
Helene is a young woman in her late teens. She's always loved history, fitness, camping in the wild, archery, and too many surprises fencing with proper big swords and fantasy especially Lord of the Rings. She loves her family and her friends yet she had never felt like she fit into this world and with her interests nor did her family. Helene was tall with dark long hair grey eyes and an aura about her that none else of her family had or ever had met. One night she was out on her late evening runs when the lights of the streetlights suddenly disappeared. Darkness took over and everything started spinning out of her control. Stars moved passed her, days felt like a man's age on the earth, and suddenly darkness and nothing else.
"What is this? What is happening". Her voice quivered, all she could think of was the pain in her ears like every sound was fine-tuned and turned up to maximum. Her eyes saw things she nor any other human had been able to see on the ground and further away in the long distance. Every fiber in her body hurt. Like every single cell had been changed and transformed in the void she believed she had been in. As the spinning stopped and a yellow-orange light appeared down a dirt road she had no other idea but to follow it.
Screams unlike any she had ever heard before were in front of her and behind her, what was happening? It didn't look like the route she ran all the time anymore. Her eyes hurt still as well as her ears, but no matter the pain she had to keep going and figure out how to get home.
From nowhere there were people running across the road away from something, but they were dressed in golden armor. What the heck? Was there a role-play or something she didn't know about? No, she would have known. Panic got her, voices all around, dark like heavy voices and laughter she could only describe as pure evil. With that, someone grabbed her and pulled her off the road into the ditch and her mouth was covered clearly to not make a sound. Scared and whimpering as she was she did not dare to move. Would he hurt her? What would happen was all things racing in her mind.
As the dark evil voices seemed to move on the hand over her mouth was removed and she could finally breathe again.
"What the hell was that?! Who the HELL are you?"
"Lower your voice," said the man or whatever this fair being in front of her was." That was orcs how do you not know! And how come you do not speak the tongue of our kin!"
"Orcs? Our kin?" she asked wonderingly "Orcs are not real! They are a fantasy! Our kin? I do speak my language if that is what you mean"
"Orcs are as real as you and me, they just slaughtered one of my companies by the river! How dare you say they are not real penneth!"
"You are serious?" She asked him "where am I? am I still in Norway?" Her questions were weird as there was nothing to her clothing as he finally looked at her. "From where do you hail? Those are not the clothes of the Noldor" Her face paled. Noldor, that was a group of elves from Tolkien's works too and as much as she wanted to geek out fear took her and he saw.
"From where do you hail", He said strict, demanding, and yet not too threatening even though his hand was on his sword
"I… I... am Helene I am from Norway, I was just out for a run and something happened, my ears started ringing and my eyes see more than I have ever seen before sharper and further away! Every single part of my body felt like it was torn apart and put together again! I always run to keep in shape and why would I not use fitness clothes? And you have a sword! What's going on here? Tell me what's going on here!"
His eyes felt like they pierced her very soul to find what he was looking for, but there were no lies as he believed in her words. Only confusion and fear.
"You truly do not understand what is going on do you?" He said in a softer tone, still strict, but somewhat softer.
"No I do not understand, what is going on here! I know of orcs and Noldor and all that you say, but that is in my books and movies not in real life!" Her breathing getting faster and faster as if she was going into shock!
He tried to understand, but how could he? In her books? What were movies? How could she say it was not real when she was in the middle of it? But then her clothes were strange and nothing like he had ever seen. Little protection, but great for movement and no boots? Frail-looking things on her feet.
At that moment she felt the world start spinning again, but not like before. This was just her scared out of her mind! He came and grabbed her as she fell and with that from the woods came another group moving so silent that she had barely heard them, but so had he as they both looked in the direction they came from.
"My Lord Elrond," Said the one seeming to lead the group. "Our lines are broken, the orcs were too many and we could not hold them! What are we going to do?"
"Elrond" was the last word she managed to say before it all went dark as she passed out of fear and simply being overwhelmed.
He looked down at her and took her into his arms as he knew they had to flee north with the lead elf looking at the girl in his arms.
"My lord? Who is she?" Elrond looked at her and at him as they started to move "I do not know, but now our fate is her fate"
With that, he carried her north and slipped away from the orcs and other servants of Sauron as they burned down and kill everything on their path. As they moved further and further north the girl in his arms changed. From having the looks of men and their light in her changed more to that of the Eldar. Her face, body, and aura had transformed so much in a few hours that Elrond himself was shocked. This could only be the work of the Valar themselves or even higher power.
With the morning sun rising and shining at them they stopped for a quick rest as Helene woke up in Elrond's arms.
"Are you really Elrond?" she said with, curiosity, and Lil fears in her voice and wondered as she could hear herself that her voice had changed dramatically and more into the sound of the elves around her.
"I am," He said little winded and sad though still hopeful even if the battle went ill.
"So, I am in Middle earth then," she said as a statement and as a question.
"You are. Just north of" As he spoke she interrupted him "Ost-in-Edhil yes. I know. It has fallen hasn't it?"
Elrond looked at her with somewhat of a shock.
"So you do know somethings of this world after all, even if you are not from it you say?"
She looked at him, unsure how much she could say as she knew a lot of the story of the hobbit and Lord of the Rings and some of the time of Sauron's attack on Eriador before the Numenorian arrival as it was not something she had read about in ages. Or to her own Lil shyness played the games about. Not many knew of her extreme geekiness for Lord of the rings and Tolkien's works.. it was bad enough they just believed her a medieval and history buff. Though her old human looks and personality had saved her a lot from being bullied about it.
"I do My Lord Elrond, more than most and maybe even the wise. She said as she stood up. But I do not know why I am here or what stole me to this world. As for me, it is something I have really wanted and maybe where I belong compared to where I am from." Looking at him she wanted to geek out as it was Elrond! But she wanted to be dignified to the herald of Gil Galad after all and frankly, she did like to talk this way.
He looked at her with an intrigued look she was clearly of his people even though she spoke in the common tongue of men. Her clothes still baffled him. Looking so different from their own and yet very functional for moving about. But she had the aura of the Eldar that could even rival his own and gained their looks as well during the night.
"Are you so different from the others of your world child?" He said as he got up and stood by her and put his arm on her shoulder in a very comforting way.
"I am, even considered weird by many. I know many would be very scared to be in my situation and yet I'm scared, but not terrified." She looked at him and knew that she had nothing to fear from him, just as all she had read about him truly told her as well. At that moment she started thinking of her moms and sisters. Would she see them again? Who knew? Tears started dropping down her cheeks. But it was not a priority now, safety was and they needed to move as this place would soon crawl with orcs and other foul creatures.
As Elrond brushed the tears away he said. "I would never see you as weird, except for the clothes and the fact you seem to prefer the common tongue" As he said so she turned fully at him, and looking nervous she said in Sindarin.
"I do know some of the elven languages, though I am not fluent by any means"
"Penneth," Elrond said "It is our language even yours" He reached out and pulled her hair aside and put her hand on her own pointy ear "You are also an elf, and when we have time I will teach you more of our tongue"
She felt it over and over again, twisting her mind on how could that have happened. But then she remembers last night's extreme pains when the world was dark and time and stars flew by her.
"How? She let out in shock, I was born human in my world, Elves do not exist even!"
He smiled at her and said "Maybe it was in you all the time and if the great song or Valar themselves brought you to us and changed you into your true self I do not know. But I do see the light of our people in you and you will have a place with us. I promise you and when we are safe I will try and help you answer these questions, but not here."
She smiled and felt warm inside by his words, even though none really knew what happened it was her reality now and she had to do the best out of it. Maybe this is the reason she loved the things she did. Their way of letting her know how to at least prepare some for this life?
With that, a few elves came over with a pack of gear, cloak, clothing, and a sword.
Elrond took them in his hands and handed them to her.
"Please change into this, we do not want you to be hurt if others of our kin see you and mistake you for the enemy." A fair point she thought and nodded to him.
It was not a full suit of armour, but protective leather for her upper and lower body as well as her arms and legs. In the scabbard was a well-made elven blade She pulled it out and got the feel of it. "It's so light." She said. "You have experience with swords?" Elrond said. As she put it back into the scabbard and smiled "it was one of my great loves to train with them where I am from, even though they have no other use than the passing of time there" He looked at her and nodded to her answer. "Well at the first chance we will see how you do with it. Until then keep it close if you need to use it."
"Thank you, my lord" He smiled and they gave her some privacy as she got out of her own clothes and saw her body changed, she had always been lean, fit, and with muscles. But as Elrond had said and she had felt on her ears. She clearly had transformed. The elven clothes had seemed large for her, but it seems by some elven magic they still fit her well.
As she came out the others were ready to leave and Helene had put her own clothes in the pack that was handed to her.
"Let me help you," He said and tightened her vambraces and leggings.
"Thank you my Lord she said and bowed her head as the others had done."
He let go as soon as they were properly tight on her arms and legs. "I think you mentioned your name Penneth, but sadly I did not capture it," He said in a very apologetic way.
"Do not think of it, My Lord. I was in a state of shock when I mentioned it, It's Helene. Not a proper Noldor or any other of the names of the elven races I know"
He smiled at her, he was fascinated by how calm she was even if everything she had known where gone. Or perhaps gone. He couldn't know either. Maybe she really was meant to be here or had returned to what really was her home.
"Helene it is, welcome though I fear you did arrive at the worst of times."
"The worst of times it may be my Lord," she said "But it is always darker before the dawn, something I truly believe!"
"Indeed it is," Elrond said "Are you able to move by yourself?" Helene felt fresh or rather even more so than normal before her run back home.
"I do, I feel different, but also able," She said with a thoughtful look upon her.
Elrond grabbed her shoulder in a comforting way.
"Then let's move north Helene and if you feel strained or anywhere off from normal fatigue you must tell us.
She nodded to him "I will my Lord."
With that Elrond called out for all to hear.
"Let's haste north, help anyone along the way as this land will not be safe for long. Do not lose heart as hope is not lost, defeat is not the end."
They started to move after Elrond, chatter was kept to a minimum for the road north would be long.