Disclaimer: All the characters in this story (except the girl) belong to Tolkien, of course.
The girl swung down from the tree and landed lightly on the ground. She loved exploring the woods in Lorien, though she never went far. The Elves had warned her never to go beyond their strict boundaries, for fear she might run into one of the untamed predators that roamed Middle Earth. There were wolves, goblins, orcs, and other horrible things to contend with in the world, she was told; though what the girl never knew was that she was really being protected from the corruption of Men. She did not realize that her powers could be used for evil as well as good; she had never encountered anything unscrupulous in her life, not that she could recall, so her heart was pure.
A noise from the path averted her attention from tree-climbing, and she slunk back into the brush to see who was coming. The Elves were very quiet whenever they travelled, so she was curious to find out what on earth was making such a racket on the trail. Remembering the stories she had been told of vicious wild animals, she decided to turn herself invisible, just to be safe. That was one of her special abilities.
Though she never thought much of it, the girl knew she had powers that the Elves did not posess; on the other hand, they had magic that she would never understand. She wondered every now and then why she was so different, but no one would ever give her a satisfying answer. They told her she was just born the way she was, somewhere far from Lothlorien, and no one knew quite where, or who her parents were. The elves were old, though, and many had been around Middle Earth enough to know of all its creatures; and none had ever seen or heard of anything exactly like the girl. Some thought she was a Halfling, gifted with some magical power; which made sense, because she was the height of one of the Little People; but why was she enchanted with magical abilities? It was a question that she never found the answer to.
In addition to vanishing on cue, the girl could also change her physical shape--become a cat, or a bird, or a great many other things. She did not consider this to be magic, but just an extension of her person, and it was certainly nothing out of the ordinary to her. However, she knew that the elves found her to be very odd, and she tried to refrain from shape-shifting most of the time.
The girl wasn't the only non-Elf who came to the land of Galadriel. She was frequently visited by the grey wizard Mithrandir, who acted as a sort of mentor to her. Other than him, though, strangers scarcely ventured into the forest. She was sure that whoever was on the path now was not Mithrandir.
Soon the intruders appeared to her sight. They were a varied bunch, to be sure. In the crowd of travellers there walked two Men, tall, strong, and confident; with them walked a very short, husky man with a long beard. The girl recognized him as a dwarf. Then there were four more, about the dwarf's height, but thinner and without beards. They wore nothing on their feet, but seemed to have thick hair covering the tops. These, she supposed, were the Halflings that the Elves spoke of, the ones that looked to be most related to her. Could these change shape if they wanted, too? She thought it unlikely. Last of the group stepped an Elf. He was not one she had seen before.
The travellers were loud and awkward compared to the tranquil forest, but they did not seem to be harmful. She was about to turn visible and talk to them, but before she could make a move, a troop of Elf scouts dropped down from the trees around them and surrounded them. She listened to them talking, but didn't really follow what was being said. She did catch that they were to meet the king and queen. Curiosity won her over, and she went quickly to the house of Galadriel, in front of the travellers. There she disguised herself as a bird in the trees, and listened intently to all that was said when the group arrived.
'The Fellowship of the Ring?' she thought. 'So this is why Gandalf was away for so long...And it seems that he shall not be returning anytime soon.' She wondered if a wizard so great could truly die from falling into a chasm with a balrog. Then she wondered how a Halfling--or Hobbit, as they called themselves, she liked that name better--could go about this immense task that had been given to him. The evil of the world was new to her, yet suddenly she wished to become involved with it, or rather to fight against it with the Fellowship. But she knew Galadriel would never let her. She was only a girl, after all.
At night, the members of the Fellowship rested safely in the Elves' care. The girl studied them carefully. She did not like one of the Men, Boromir. There was something...Ominous about him, though she couldn't quite tell what it was. But she thought he would be better off back at his home in Gondor than on the quest to destroy the One Ring. Perhaps it was the way he kept looking at the Ringbearer that alarmed her.
She liked the Ringbearer and his friends, though she did not dare try to talk to one of them. In the short time they had been in Lothlorien, she had learned quite a bit about them, and she was certain that she shouldn't know a lot of what she did. Snooping around the Mirror of Galadriel, she had found out a bit more about the Ring, and Frodo, and she realized that, more than anything, she wanted to go with him to Mordor. She knew it was a silly, childish notion, a lust for adventure and excitement, since she had never been outside the forest. But there was more to it than that. She had heard what would happen if he was to fail in his mission. All the races of Middle Earth would become slaves to the Dark Lord Sauron. All for one little Ring. She wanted to help in any way she could, and if a need had not arisen yet, then perhaps one would along the way.
That night, she made up her mind to follow the Fellowship out of Lothlorien. She went to Galadriel, and told her what she intended to do. The queen did not try to stop her or persuade her otherwise. Instead, she wished her luck, and gave her a few words of encouragement.
"There is much more to you than meets the eye, girl," she said. "You have an inner strength that you have not yet discovered, and I hope you will find it at need along your journey. But be wary of yourself, and the Fellowship--you go to do you know not what. Remember, even the smallest person can change the course of the future."
The girl left the next day with the odd company, but in secrecy; she did not think the time right to reveal herself to them yet. She brought nothing with her, only the clothes she was wearing; and a cloak she had had forever, that was deep blue in color, and was embroidered with runes around the bottom in silver thread. The cloak, and her clothes, were made by the Elves, and had the convenience of staying on her when she changed shape. That is, they disappeared with her human skin, and reappeared with it when she returned to her Hobbit-like form. Generally, she avoided her Hobbit body while she followed the Fellowship.
There was a point where the Fellowship split, and Sam and Frodo left the others. The time had come for them to begin the rest of their journey...Alone. But the girl had other thoughts. She followed them on their separate road now, and when they settled down to spend their first night alone on the trek to Mordor, she decided it was time for them to know who she was. She fluttered down to the ground before them, in the form of a falcon.
"Hullo!" said Sam. "What's this?"
Frodo looked at the bird suspiciously. "Not a spy of Saruman, I hope." He didn't like the way it looked up at him, with those eerily intelligent eyes.
"I don't think so," Sam said. "I'd think it would be flying off to Isengard if that's what it was."
"Why is it-" Frodo began, then stopped in midsentence. A bluish light seemed to be radiating from the raptor. The hobbits huddled close together, watching it fearfully.
The light around the bird grew, until it was almost blinding. Then there was a flash of light, and Sam and Frodo had to look away. When they looked back, they saw before them a young girl, the size of a hobbit but dressed like an Elf, wearing a sunny yellow dress and a long, flowing cape.
"Hello, Frodo," she said, "and Sam."
"Who are you?" gasped Sam, quite stunned.
"I am...Without a name," she shrugged, "But I come from Lothlorien, and I wish to help you in your quest for the Ring."
Frodo reached protectively for the chain that held the Ring around his neck. "How do you know about the Ring?"
She smiled. "I've been listening to you, and watching you ever since you entered the forest. All that, plus what Mithrandir's told me, is enough to know what you're up to."
"Mithrandir?" said Frodo. "You mean Gandalf? Did you know him?"
She nodded. "He was often visiting the forest, while he wasn't out saving the world," she said lightly.
"And what exactly do you want with us?" Sam asked.
"I want to help you," the girl said earnestly.
Sam was wary of help. "How do we know you're not one of Sauron's servants?"
"You'll just have to trust me. And even if you don't, I'll follow you all the way, even if I have to go back to hiding from you to do it," she said stubbornly.
Frodo laughed despite the seriousness of the task before him. "Well, I guess you can come with us then, seeing as how we're stuck with you."
"But what are we to call you?" Sam wondered. "We can't very well just call you 'girl.' It wouldn't be proper."
The girl shrugged. "You can call me whatever you want, I don't care."
Sam sat down and thought hard for a while. He could not think of anything suitable to call this girl.
"Well, in the meantime," Frodo said, "I suggest we get some sleep...Tomorrow'll be a long day, no doubt."
"Go ahead, Mr. Frodo," Sam said, "I'll stay up and keep an eye out for trouble."
"I could do that," said the girl. "I'm not tired at all."
Sam reluctantly let the girl keep watch. He lay down under a blanket next to Frodo, but did not sleep. Instead, he watched the girl intently, still not trusting this stranger. Though she did not look at him, he had the feeling that she knew she was being watched. If she was nervous, she did not show it. Eventually, despite his apprehensions, Sam drifted off to sleep. He did not stir again until morning.