Chapter I:
I, an American of twenty-one, found myself strolling down a street in Lincoln, England. I was walking my Black Labrador, named Sassy, from my apartment, located across from "The Holy Virgin Mary" Cathedral, to the nearby park. I was a student at the Lincoln University. While studying to be an ornithologist, I had been offered a great job in the Canterbury Plains, on the south island of New Zealand. This was the job I had always wanted. Things were finally working out for me in life, not that my life had always been bad, because it hadn't.
Growing up in the Army life style, I had moved a lot as a child. I did not really have any permanent friends. I had always felt that I lacked something, until I was introduced to Lord of the Rings. In Middle-Earth, there was always adventure and danger. There was always something going on. Living my perfect life, I realized that it was only my perfect life in our world. I was always told that Middle-Earth was imaginary. What I really desired, could not be reached.
My mom, my dad, my brother, two cats, dog, bird, and I had finally settled in Georgia, about eight miles from the Atlantic Ocean. My life was a normal one. Nothing had ever been totally life threatening or tragic. I was just the average American girl living an average American life. I had always been told that I was pretty, but the only thing that really made me stand out from the crowd, was my IQ. I was smarter than a lot of the other kids, but smart had never been enough for me. I had pushed myself to be what I had always dreamed of being.
That's where I found myself, a brunette with grey-green eyes and pale skin (which I had been striving for years), desperately trying to pick up an English accent, walking the streets of Lincoln, England, living my dream life. I was only missing one thing, a man, an important detail, if you ask me. "The right one just hadn't come along yet," is what I always told myself. I'd find him sooner or later, hopefully sooner than later.
Entering the park through the rod-iron gates, I walked to a secluded area and sat down on the grass. I let Sassy off of her leash and relaxed lying on the ground. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew there was a soft tongue on my face. It was Sassy, but a strange man stood above me, holding her collar. He had long, blond hair, a noble figure, and the most beautiful aquamarine eyes I had ever seen. He was dressed just as if he had popped out of the Middle Ages, in all greens and browns. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that he was Legolas out of Lord of the Rings! What would he be doing in Lincoln, England?!
"Is this hound yours?" he asked.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. He was still there.
"You've gone over the edge this time," I thought.
"Yes," I answered feebly.
Sassy was all over the guy and he didn't seem to mind! I took her by the collar and pulled her with all my force, but she wouldn't leave the man alone.
"'Tis quite all right," he said. "Animals seem to like me."
"Well, I guess so," I answered.
"You're talking to a figment of your imagination. I'm taking you to a psychiatrist!" I thought.
"My name is Sydney," I said, shaking his hand.
"Now you're shaking his hand," I thought to myself. "You've totally gone off the deep end!"
"And you are?" I asked him.
"Legolas Greenleaf," he answered quite confidently.
The next thing I knew, I was laying down on a park bench and the strange man was standing over me. I got up off the bench. Sassy was lying next to the man, as though she had known him her whole life.
"This is all a dream. You'll wake up on the grass all by yourself. I'm never drinking that Horlick's instant coffee again! That stuff will do weird things to you mind," I thought.
"So, you expect me to believe that you're Legolas Greenleaf?" I said to the man.
"Why would you doubt me?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF LINCOLN, ENGLAND!" I lost my temper. "Listen. I don't have time for games."
"Lincoln, England?" he asked, sitting down on the bench. "Is that in Rohan?"
"I all ready told you that I don't have time for games," I said to the man.
"I seem to be very lost," he said.
"What is your father's name?" I asked.
"Thranduil," he answered.
"Where do you come from?" I asked again.
"Mirkwood," he answered as quickly as the first time.
"Drat, he's good," I thought.
"What is your mother's name?" I asked.
He wouldn't know this one unless he was the real deal!
"Camillaviel," he answered.
"Oh my gosh!" I shouted. "You are him. Aren't you?!"
"Yes, that is what I have told you this entire time," he replied.
"This is unbelievable! How did you get here?!" I asked.
"I was sitting near a brook in Mirkwood and I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was waking up here," he answered. "England you say?"
"Yes," I answered, sitting back down on the bench beside him.
"This is too much. You must be dreaming," I thought. "Pinch yourself and maybe you'll wake up."
I pinched myself, but nothing happened, except for the pain in my forearm.
"So, let me get this straight," I said to the man. "You're Legolas Greenleaf and somehow you got sent to Lincoln, England. You're lost and don't know how to get home. Am I right?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid you are," Legolas said.
I clipped on Sassy's leash and said to Legolas, "Follow me."
I lead him back to my apartment. The evening sky was already turning a dark purple. I unlocked the door and walked in, taking off Sassy's leash. She tore around the apartment for a couple of seconds, then she settled in to her beanbag in the living room. I motioned for Legolas to follow. He stepped in and I locked the door after him.
"It is late," I said. "You may stay here, if you would like."
"You are too generous," he said.
"Not at all," I said. "It's not every day that you get the chance to have a book character live with you," I added under my breath.
"You're either nuts or dreaming and you all ready pinched yourself, so, you must be absolutely nuts," I thought.
I motioned for Legolas to sit on the couch and picked up the phone. I dialed the number and it rang.
"Ya, Peter, it's me. Listen. Come over to my apartment with some of your pajamas, a pair of jeans, and a shirt. Ask no questions. Do I have a guy over? Ya, kinda, but no, not like that! Just get here as quickly as you can. Thanks. I owe you."
I hung up the phone and walked over to the coffeepot.
"I don't care what instant coffee does to my mind. I just need caffeine and fast," I thought. "I should have asked Pete to bring some real coffee."
Peter and I were both studying to be ornithologists at Lincoln University. We had grown really close. I guess you could call us best friends. I could always depend on him. He was a really sweet guy. Ever since we had met on the Internet at age fifteen, we had been emailing back and forth. It just so happened that we both decided that we wanted to go to Trent University for ornithology. It was a big coincidence. He had grown up in Glasgow, Scotland, so he had a really cute accent. He was a great friend to have.
I sat down on the couch. Sassy jumped up and sat between Legolas and I.
"I'm really sorry that I can't help more," I said, "and that I ever doubted you, but you have to admit that it is pretty weird to have a man show up in a park in Lincoln, England that you thought only existed in a book".
"Indeed, that would be odd," replied Legolas.
I could see that he was uncomfortable. I got off the couch and he seemed to relax a bit, but he was still very tense.
"I'm making some coffee that should make you feel a lot better," I said. "If you want to in the mean time, you can play with Sassy."
I handed him a plush hedgehog with a squeaker in the middle.
"That's Hedgie," I said. "She seems to like him a lot."
Sassy pounced on Legolas, grabbed Hedgie, and started chewing on it, right in his lap. Legolas smiled at the dog. He seemed to be very comfortable with animals. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and Peter's head popped around the corner, desperately trying to get a peek at the guy I had over.
"Listen, Pete, it's a long story," I said.
I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into the apartment saying, "Legolas, this is Peter. Peter, this is Legolas. Pete, go sit in the kitchen. I'll be there in just a sec."
He handed me the clothes and disappeared behind the wall separating the kitchen and the living room.
I handed Legolas a pair of boxers and a T-shirt and said, "There is a bathroom down the hall that you can change in. Go down the hall, through the door, and should be another door on the opposite end of that bedroom. That is the door to the bathroom and you can stay in that bedroom."
"I can't thank you enough," said Legolas.
"It's no trouble," I said.
Legolas went down the hall. I walked into the kitchen.
"OK, tell me that you can see that guy," I said.
"I can," said Peter.
"Good," I replied and I told him what had happened.
"Wow," he said.
"Are you sure?!"
"I'm positive," I answered. "Thanks for the clothes. I'll take him to get his own tomorrow. It's a good thing that it's Friday."
"When you said that you needed my clothes, I thought.," said Peter.
"I know what you thought, but Peter, sadly, you're the only man in my life," I replied.
"You shouldn't be sad about that. A lot of girls would love to have me be the only guy in their life," Peter said.
"I'm sure," I said sarcastically.
We laughed.
"Well, thanks. You're a life saver," I said.
"Anytime," replied Peter.
"Please don't tell anyone about him because I'm going to try to show him how to act normal. I don't know when he can get back home," I said.
"Absolutely not. Everybody all ready thinks I'm crazy for hanging out with you. I don't need to tell them that I know a real, live elf and confirm their suspicions," Peter replied.
We talked for a while longer and then Peter had to go.
"If you want, I'll go with you guys tomorrow," said Pete.
"That would be good," I said. "I'll call you tomorrow and let you know when we're ready."
"OK then," replied Peter as he left.
I locked the door after him and walked into the bedroom I had given Legolas. He was asleep all ready. I quietly walked out and closed the door.
"This can't be happening," I thought. "You'll wake up tomorrow and he won't be here. It'll all have been a dream. Is that what you really want?" I asked myself as I was lying down on my bed, closing my eyes.
I, an American of twenty-one, found myself strolling down a street in Lincoln, England. I was walking my Black Labrador, named Sassy, from my apartment, located across from "The Holy Virgin Mary" Cathedral, to the nearby park. I was a student at the Lincoln University. While studying to be an ornithologist, I had been offered a great job in the Canterbury Plains, on the south island of New Zealand. This was the job I had always wanted. Things were finally working out for me in life, not that my life had always been bad, because it hadn't.
Growing up in the Army life style, I had moved a lot as a child. I did not really have any permanent friends. I had always felt that I lacked something, until I was introduced to Lord of the Rings. In Middle-Earth, there was always adventure and danger. There was always something going on. Living my perfect life, I realized that it was only my perfect life in our world. I was always told that Middle-Earth was imaginary. What I really desired, could not be reached.
My mom, my dad, my brother, two cats, dog, bird, and I had finally settled in Georgia, about eight miles from the Atlantic Ocean. My life was a normal one. Nothing had ever been totally life threatening or tragic. I was just the average American girl living an average American life. I had always been told that I was pretty, but the only thing that really made me stand out from the crowd, was my IQ. I was smarter than a lot of the other kids, but smart had never been enough for me. I had pushed myself to be what I had always dreamed of being.
That's where I found myself, a brunette with grey-green eyes and pale skin (which I had been striving for years), desperately trying to pick up an English accent, walking the streets of Lincoln, England, living my dream life. I was only missing one thing, a man, an important detail, if you ask me. "The right one just hadn't come along yet," is what I always told myself. I'd find him sooner or later, hopefully sooner than later.
Entering the park through the rod-iron gates, I walked to a secluded area and sat down on the grass. I let Sassy off of her leash and relaxed lying on the ground. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew there was a soft tongue on my face. It was Sassy, but a strange man stood above me, holding her collar. He had long, blond hair, a noble figure, and the most beautiful aquamarine eyes I had ever seen. He was dressed just as if he had popped out of the Middle Ages, in all greens and browns. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that he was Legolas out of Lord of the Rings! What would he be doing in Lincoln, England?!
"Is this hound yours?" he asked.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. He was still there.
"You've gone over the edge this time," I thought.
"Yes," I answered feebly.
Sassy was all over the guy and he didn't seem to mind! I took her by the collar and pulled her with all my force, but she wouldn't leave the man alone.
"'Tis quite all right," he said. "Animals seem to like me."
"Well, I guess so," I answered.
"You're talking to a figment of your imagination. I'm taking you to a psychiatrist!" I thought.
"My name is Sydney," I said, shaking his hand.
"Now you're shaking his hand," I thought to myself. "You've totally gone off the deep end!"
"And you are?" I asked him.
"Legolas Greenleaf," he answered quite confidently.
The next thing I knew, I was laying down on a park bench and the strange man was standing over me. I got up off the bench. Sassy was lying next to the man, as though she had known him her whole life.
"This is all a dream. You'll wake up on the grass all by yourself. I'm never drinking that Horlick's instant coffee again! That stuff will do weird things to you mind," I thought.
"So, you expect me to believe that you're Legolas Greenleaf?" I said to the man.
"Why would you doubt me?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF LINCOLN, ENGLAND!" I lost my temper. "Listen. I don't have time for games."
"Lincoln, England?" he asked, sitting down on the bench. "Is that in Rohan?"
"I all ready told you that I don't have time for games," I said to the man.
"I seem to be very lost," he said.
"What is your father's name?" I asked.
"Thranduil," he answered.
"Where do you come from?" I asked again.
"Mirkwood," he answered as quickly as the first time.
"Drat, he's good," I thought.
"What is your mother's name?" I asked.
He wouldn't know this one unless he was the real deal!
"Camillaviel," he answered.
"Oh my gosh!" I shouted. "You are him. Aren't you?!"
"Yes, that is what I have told you this entire time," he replied.
"This is unbelievable! How did you get here?!" I asked.
"I was sitting near a brook in Mirkwood and I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was waking up here," he answered. "England you say?"
"Yes," I answered, sitting back down on the bench beside him.
"This is too much. You must be dreaming," I thought. "Pinch yourself and maybe you'll wake up."
I pinched myself, but nothing happened, except for the pain in my forearm.
"So, let me get this straight," I said to the man. "You're Legolas Greenleaf and somehow you got sent to Lincoln, England. You're lost and don't know how to get home. Am I right?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid you are," Legolas said.
I clipped on Sassy's leash and said to Legolas, "Follow me."
I lead him back to my apartment. The evening sky was already turning a dark purple. I unlocked the door and walked in, taking off Sassy's leash. She tore around the apartment for a couple of seconds, then she settled in to her beanbag in the living room. I motioned for Legolas to follow. He stepped in and I locked the door after him.
"It is late," I said. "You may stay here, if you would like."
"You are too generous," he said.
"Not at all," I said. "It's not every day that you get the chance to have a book character live with you," I added under my breath.
"You're either nuts or dreaming and you all ready pinched yourself, so, you must be absolutely nuts," I thought.
I motioned for Legolas to sit on the couch and picked up the phone. I dialed the number and it rang.
"Ya, Peter, it's me. Listen. Come over to my apartment with some of your pajamas, a pair of jeans, and a shirt. Ask no questions. Do I have a guy over? Ya, kinda, but no, not like that! Just get here as quickly as you can. Thanks. I owe you."
I hung up the phone and walked over to the coffeepot.
"I don't care what instant coffee does to my mind. I just need caffeine and fast," I thought. "I should have asked Pete to bring some real coffee."
Peter and I were both studying to be ornithologists at Lincoln University. We had grown really close. I guess you could call us best friends. I could always depend on him. He was a really sweet guy. Ever since we had met on the Internet at age fifteen, we had been emailing back and forth. It just so happened that we both decided that we wanted to go to Trent University for ornithology. It was a big coincidence. He had grown up in Glasgow, Scotland, so he had a really cute accent. He was a great friend to have.
I sat down on the couch. Sassy jumped up and sat between Legolas and I.
"I'm really sorry that I can't help more," I said, "and that I ever doubted you, but you have to admit that it is pretty weird to have a man show up in a park in Lincoln, England that you thought only existed in a book".
"Indeed, that would be odd," replied Legolas.
I could see that he was uncomfortable. I got off the couch and he seemed to relax a bit, but he was still very tense.
"I'm making some coffee that should make you feel a lot better," I said. "If you want to in the mean time, you can play with Sassy."
I handed him a plush hedgehog with a squeaker in the middle.
"That's Hedgie," I said. "She seems to like him a lot."
Sassy pounced on Legolas, grabbed Hedgie, and started chewing on it, right in his lap. Legolas smiled at the dog. He seemed to be very comfortable with animals. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and Peter's head popped around the corner, desperately trying to get a peek at the guy I had over.
"Listen, Pete, it's a long story," I said.
I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into the apartment saying, "Legolas, this is Peter. Peter, this is Legolas. Pete, go sit in the kitchen. I'll be there in just a sec."
He handed me the clothes and disappeared behind the wall separating the kitchen and the living room.
I handed Legolas a pair of boxers and a T-shirt and said, "There is a bathroom down the hall that you can change in. Go down the hall, through the door, and should be another door on the opposite end of that bedroom. That is the door to the bathroom and you can stay in that bedroom."
"I can't thank you enough," said Legolas.
"It's no trouble," I said.
Legolas went down the hall. I walked into the kitchen.
"OK, tell me that you can see that guy," I said.
"I can," said Peter.
"Good," I replied and I told him what had happened.
"Wow," he said.
"Are you sure?!"
"I'm positive," I answered. "Thanks for the clothes. I'll take him to get his own tomorrow. It's a good thing that it's Friday."
"When you said that you needed my clothes, I thought.," said Peter.
"I know what you thought, but Peter, sadly, you're the only man in my life," I replied.
"You shouldn't be sad about that. A lot of girls would love to have me be the only guy in their life," Peter said.
"I'm sure," I said sarcastically.
We laughed.
"Well, thanks. You're a life saver," I said.
"Anytime," replied Peter.
"Please don't tell anyone about him because I'm going to try to show him how to act normal. I don't know when he can get back home," I said.
"Absolutely not. Everybody all ready thinks I'm crazy for hanging out with you. I don't need to tell them that I know a real, live elf and confirm their suspicions," Peter replied.
We talked for a while longer and then Peter had to go.
"If you want, I'll go with you guys tomorrow," said Pete.
"That would be good," I said. "I'll call you tomorrow and let you know when we're ready."
"OK then," replied Peter as he left.
I locked the door after him and walked into the bedroom I had given Legolas. He was asleep all ready. I quietly walked out and closed the door.
"This can't be happening," I thought. "You'll wake up tomorrow and he won't be here. It'll all have been a dream. Is that what you really want?" I asked myself as I was lying down on my bed, closing my eyes.