Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own anything and am not, by any means, hiding a cute, adorable little hobbit under my bed.
Marion awoke on a cold floor, a dull ache throbbing at her temples. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she observed her surroundings. Her soaked and oversized clothes had been replaced with a well fitted tunic and pants. With a quick reassuring sweep, her necklace was still around her neck, her ring was still on her finger, but her watch and bracelet were gone. That didn't bother her as much. Only the ring and necklace had any sentimental value – the necklace a silver Celtic knot given to her by her grandmother and the ring a present from her parents the year before. In one corner of her room was a plate of food and a bowl of water. The room she was in was a large and made of what seemed to be polished marble. The ceilings were high and there was a window a bit over her head. Running over to the door, she tried the knob (which was also above her) to find it locked. Sitting once again on the floor, Marion put her head in her hands.
What was going on?
"Who are you to trespass on the lands of Lothlorien?" The man with pointed ears had asked. Where had she heard that name before? Well, it didn't matter. She had to find a way out of there. The inhabitants of the city did not seem pleased with her arrival. In fact, they had been downright threatening. And now she was locked in a room, which she could only assume was part of a prison.
But, who had ever heard of a prison made of marble? Then again, who had ever heard of an entire city filled with people who had pointy ears? Or entire rivers and cities appearing out of nowhere?
"Lothlorien," Marion spoke the name aloud, hoping it would jog her memory. The familiarity was so frustratingly close. "Lothlorien!" Marion exclaimed, picking her head up. "That Elven city in Lord of the Rings!" At that, she paled. The Lord of the Rings series? But…that was just a book. Not even one that she had read all the way through. She had always meant to finish it, but the farthest she had reached was the end of the Fellowship of the Rings. And now she was neck deep in it. Edging over to the food and water, she gingerly picked up what looked to be some sort of cake. After biting apprehensively, she quickly devoured it, feeling her hunger for the first time. She approached the bowl of water almost fearfully. The reflection that would greet her would not be her own.
All of her dreams – nightmares, more like – had come true. She was in a stranger's body. The only part of her that reminded her of herself was perhaps her dark brown eyes. Everything else had changed. Steeling her courage, she leaned over the bowl and simply stared at the odd likeness staring back at her. After awhile, the reflection was not as disturbing to her; if she looked deep into her eyes, she found herself again. She was still herself, simply transformed a bit. Calmer, she drank deep, quenching the dry tickle at the back of her throat.
So, if this was indeed Lothlorien, a city full of elves, that would explain the pointed ears. But what would that make her? Definitely not human…not a dwarf, thank God, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to live with that, the pointy ears made her want to say she was an elf, but they were all too tall. Feeling idle, Marion stood up to pace. Glancing down, she noticed that she wasn't wearing any shoes and that her feet were hairy. Hairy feet…curly hair…pointed ears…everything above her…Christ Almighty, she was a hobbit.
It made sense – if anything made sense anymore. Her clothes had been made for a human, which would definitely not fit someone who was three-some feet tall. Her necklace was still on because though she'd shrunken, it still didn't fit over her head. The bracelet and watch must have slipped off her smaller wrists. Why her ring was still on puzzled her, but she shrugged it off.
Now it was time for an escape. Another try at the door yielded no varying results. The only other way out was through the window above her. Though it would be difficult to reach with marble walls, it wouldn't be impossible. The ledge was thin enough that if she grabbed onto it, she could hoist herself onto the windowsill and then onto the ground. With her back against the door, she ran as fast as she could and launched herself at the window. The first few times she missed completely. The next few she either missed or her fingers couldn't find purchase on the slippery rock when she reached it. Finally, she judged correctly and with a struggle, pulled herself up through the window.
A quick glance down threw her heart into her throat. That's right…Lothlorien was a city in the trees. Therefore, her room was high above the ground. Very, very high above the ground. It had to be at least five stories up. Thankful that she had learned how to climb trees at the ripe age of seven, she started the terrifying task of descending the abnormally tall trees.
* * *
Even in the beautiful city of Lothlorien, Pippin could not sleep. That lament the elves had composed for Gandalf was still being sung and it slashed deep into his heart. Even if he couldn't understand what was being said, the tone was enough to fill him with sadness. The grief of losing Gandalf was like shards of glass lodged in his chest. Resting his back against one of the trees, he sighed. Everyone was asleep except for Boromir and Aragorn, who were discussing pressing matters again. He glanced at Frodo, curled up on the springy grass. Poor Frodo was taking the loss so much harder than anyone else in the group. The poor hobbit hadn't even let himself cry since the Mines of Moria.
Any further pity was cut off by a creature dropping on top of him. Crying out in alarm, Pippin got a mouth full of grass, a strange weight on his back.
"Shit…Ooouch!" The creature moaned before dashing off. Picking his head up, he just caught the figure of a female hobbit dash away and disappear through the trees. Blinking his eyes, then rubbing them, he stood up shakily and quickly set off to find Aragorn.
* * *
It was a much tougher descent then Marion would have thought. Multiple times it was only by her nails that she managed to stay on the trunk. By the time she was almost at the ground, her hands were bloody from the bark cutting her hands and the underneath her fingernails. A few feet from the ground, she slipped and couldn't catch herself with, clenching her mouth shut, so as to not attract attention, she waited for the impact.
Though she fell hard, it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. She didn't think grass was that soft. Then she heard the cry of alarm.
"Shit…Ooouch!" Escaped involuntarily. Picking herself up, she dashed away without looking back, hoping that she could outrun whoever she'd fallen on.
Once through the trees, she realized that she had no idea how to get back to river she had sailed in on. And after that, she had no idea how to get back to that hill she had fallen into this world from. She no idea, in fact, what she was doing at all. So it was with that in mind that she heard the sound of a large river nearby. Following her ears, the sound came closer. Behind her, she heard someone shouting in a different language. A quick glance behind her confirmed that elves were now chasing her. But she could see the river ahead, was at its bank and now flying down the bank.
Then she remembered that elves had longer legs and more in-shape than she was as an elf quickly gained on her. Cutting more to the side, Marion's bare feet were now slapping against slimy stones, the water of the river licking dangerously close to her. Slipping, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before they caught her and locked her away again. Picking herself as fast as she could, the lead elf was right behind her.
An idea struck her. She knew that they were fast on land, but what about in water?
'Between the choice of two evils, chose the one you haven't tried before,' Marion thought before she plunged into the cold water again. It was much easier for her to swim with clothes that actually fit and she had the current working for her, pulling her further downstream. But, unfortunately, elves were just as quick in water and arms were around her, pulling her back towards the bank no matter how hard she fought. Dripping and screaming, she was yanked from the water and then back to the city of Lothlorien.
* * *
Though it took him a little while, Pippin finally found his two friends not far from the actual camp. "Strider!" He called as he came up behind the sitting human. In that position, Pippin was actually taller than Isildur's heir.
"What are you doing awake, little one? You should be snoring," Boromir smiled.
"I…I saw another hobbit," Pippin blurted out.
"There are three more of you," Boromir replied. "I should think you would. Those are the only other Halflings that are in Lothlorien."
"This is a hidden elf city." Aragorn nodded. "Even the Fellowship had troubles gaining passage here."
"I'm not seeing things. A female hobbit fell out of a tree on top of me and then ran away!" Pippin argued.
Boromir shot Aragorn a concerned look before answering, "Perhaps you dreamed it."
"LET ME GO YOU POINTY-EARED GIT!" A shriek pierced the forest. All three companions started at the sudden echoing insult. More obscene insults ricocheted between the tree trunks and soon three elves came into sight, two soaked and dragging along a dripping, feisty hobbit. Though obviously no match for three elves, the young female was twisting one way and another and dragging her feet into the grass. Already there was a gash on her forehead that was dripping a bit of blood and her wrists were red from fighting. Scabs on her legs, arms, and face told of cuts freshly healed. Finally, the two picked the offending hobbit up to make the trek faster. Once that happened, the insults stopped only to be replaced by biting and kicking.
"LET! ME! GO!!" She screamed when that didn't work.
Behind Pippin, Aragorn, and Boromir, the rest of the Fellowship slowly gathered, awed at the sight.
"Mr. Frodo," Sam gasped. "Another hobbit!"
"I see, Sam," he said. "But what is she doing in the middle of Lothlorien?"
"I've never seen a hobbit so full of anger before," Merry added. "Doesn't seem like a proper lady, now does she?"
"Must be related to the Sackville-Bagginses," Sam murmured.
Legolas darted forward and hailed the other elves in his own language. There was a short exchange between the four of them with the girl still fruitlessly trying to escape. After the few words, Legolas returned to his friends and the others continued on.
"It seems that Lady Galadriel has need to speak with her, though none knew why," he reported.
"Here!" Frodo cried. "They already hurt her! We can't let them just whisk her away against her will like that!" With the other three hobbits at his side, they charged towards the elves.
"Put her down!" Merry commanded. "You're hurting her!"
The elf not carrying the female halted the group. "She is to go to Lady Galadriel. Her wounds were obtained while she tried to escape."
"Help me!" She pleaded.
"She obviously doesn't want to go with you," Pippin replied.
"Put her down." Frodo's eyes narrowed at the elves. With a thud, the young hobbit dropped to the ground.
"OW!" She cried. Recovering, she quickly tried to make a dash back to the river, but an elf grabbed her by her shirt. "You stupid bint!"
From behind Frodo, Aragorn stepped around him and pulled the lead elf aside, the young hobbit being dragged along with them. After a quick, heated discussion, Aragorn took a firm hold of the girl's shoulders.
"You will be released on the terms that you will not run away again," the Fellowship heard him whisper. Frodo moved closer to the pair, almost right by the girl's side.
"What right do you have to hold me here?" The hobbit glared at him, ignoring Frodo's movement.
"None. But what right have you to leave?"
"I shouldn't be here," she answered angrily.
"You are wrong," Galadriel replied, nearly floating across the grass to the small group. "You should be here." All present except for the young girl immediately quieted and turned toward the Elven Queen. She continued to fight and managed to break free from Aragorn's grasp. Before she could run away, Galadriel put a hand on her head. The contact made the hobbit freeze. "Shh, come with me."
Regaining her composure, the girl shook her head to rid herself of Galadriel's touch. "And why should I? Who the hell are you, lady? Why the hell am I here?"
"I am Lady Galadriel and you are among the Fellowship of the Ring."
At that, the girl wobbled and took a step backwards to balance herself. Frodo made to catch the girl, should she fall. "I think I'm going to faint again…"
"Come with me for your answers."