Disclaimer: Alright I own nothing, nada, niente. So sad. I do wish I owned a pretty set of Nazgul to do my bidding though! ….*thinking evil thoughts*…..

A/N: Oh my goodness thank you to everyone who gave reviews, they make me so happy! I'm trying really hard to put up chapters, but I don't want it to become a chore. If there are any criticisms or ideas that you think I should put into my story just say the word and I'll see what I can do ^_^ I'm watching my LOTR movie and I have my book beside me so I don't screw up the story to much, and I was working on my story line today in Math class cause it was REALLY boring. Also to Shaggy the entire reason I wrote this story was because of a dream I had about the ending, so I'm working off a muse J So wish me luck…wow that was a long note I hope you didn't read the entire thing.

Chapter Four

Laurel gazed up into the eyes of the man she had just stumbled into, though he looked like he may be getting on in years, perhaps the same age as her father, he had the look of someone who had seen much, much more. His eyes seemed to give away his age the most. Though as she looked around his face she noticed small lines that had not appeared to be there before. She also noticed little points at the tops of his ears. His hair was a long silvery brown and he wore an odd circlet around his head. From what she could gather, she guessed that this would be an elf. Still much to tired and confused to be aware of how odd this was, she merely accepted it for the time being. Laurel hoped that she would have time to think this all over, and perhaps try to fall out of this dream. Because it had to be a dream, it had to be.

"Boromir you are late. Why did you not arrive with the elders and other men. They arrived later last night." Asked the elf, drawing Laurel out of her befuddled thoughts and speaking with a slight accent, much like Boromir. They all spoke as though they were from England, or even if they were some upper crust part of society, his name is Boromir, thought Laurel and a slight smile grew across her lips. "And who is this you bring into my city?" he inquired now turning his attention back to Laurel.

"Her name is Laurel, Lord Elrond. I found her on my way upon your fair city. I bade my fellow travelers carry on to the city, while I watched over her through the night. She awoke though she knew not where she was from. I had hopes that you may help find the lady's way." said the man, who's name appeared to be Boromir. Laurel realized that he had said that she did not know where she had come from.

"I do know where I'm from, L-lord El-l-rond." said Laurel, stumbling over the strange name of the Elf. " I am from Oakville, it's in Ontario, near Toronto! If you would just point me in the direction then I would happily go on my way. I just want to go home, I don't want to give you any trouble." She exclaimed, hoping that her in-depth description of where Oakville was would help them in anyway. Though she was still unsure of whether she was even in her own world, if that could make any sense.

" I know not of any of these cities that you spoke of, I am sorry. Perhaps you are mistaken on the names, I know almost every city in Middle Earth." replied the somewhat pompous elf.

"Middle Earth? You mean Earth, I have never heard anyone call it Middle Earth before. You know if you just take me to a train station I'll find my way home." though at the mention of a train both the men seemed to gain very confused looks on their faces. Maybe they were Amish, Laurel knew that there were Amish communities somewhere in Ontario, she could have just stumbled upon one. Maybe.

~*~*~*~*~

Laurel sat in her room, pondering what had happened down near the stables of what everyone was to referring to as Rivendell. She had to accept that she may not even be in Ontario anymore. But it was not possible for her to have traveled further than a mile, and how would she had floated down a stream. It confused her, though the name Middle Earth kept coming back to her poor mind. It sounded familiar, like something she had heard someone mention. It ran through her mind rapidly, as she tried to place it.

She must have sat for half an hour thinking of those two simple words when finally it came to her. It may have been the place where those books were based, about something, she couldn't really remember and a movie about it had come out last year. She had never had a chance to read them, nor had she seen the movie. Her mother had died around that time and she had never really felt up to reading them nor felt the draw of looking into either, her days had mostly been filled with trying to get on with life. Much tougher than you would have originally thought. She could barely even remember the commercials for the movie, and everyone had been talking about it. Its weird how that manages to happen.

Going back to the original problem though, she had somewhat figured out where may or may not be,….. trapped in a movie/book. She could just have stumbled across some highly obsessed sub-culture, though she somewhat doubted they would go to the detail of the architecture she had seen through her brief walk from the courtyard to the massive room that would be her's until they knew what to do with her. The work on the walls was beautiful, it may have taken ages to create. And it all looked, how could she say, accurate. As though it had been there forever and would remain there until the end of time.

Laurel's poor mind decided to submit to the idea that she had traveled to a world where there were elves, and men who rode horses through seemingly endless fields and other "creatures" God knew what else. Her thoughts seemed to chase each other through her poor tattered mind. When she finally seemed to accept that she was in a new world, another skeptic thought popped into her mind. Perhaps it was all the thinking, or maybe it was the sleep she had had the night before, but compared to the deliciously comfortable bed she was in now, her night on the cold, hard ground and bouncing on a horse was nothing in comparison.

As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was lost in a comforting dream, of a women who had long ebony hair, and smelled of Ivory soap.

~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~

A heat seemed to come from no where. The dream of her mother was shattered by an eternal darkness. She was lost in a world where all was black. She seemed to float through it, but felt heavy none the less. Floating and feeling as though she was sinking into nothing. It was a frightening thought. The warmth around her made it much worse. As though she was being surrounded by unending and unbeatable heat. And off in the distance she noticed the only colour. At first it seemed to be a trick of the light, maybe her eyes were wrong, but it looked like fire. It could have been the surrounding emptiness but it kept getting closer, and larger. The closer it came the hotter it was. And as the large orb of fire closed in on her a steady thrum could be heard. The beat of a heavy drum began, becoming louder and louder. With the accompaniment of a harsh and threatening whisper, one that seemed to draw her into the glow of the fire that descended upon her. The pressure became heavier and everything started to become louder, heavier and warmer. All crushing around her, pulling a scream out from deep inside of her.

She woke quickly feeling hands pulling at her. "Lady Wake Up, It is only a dream!" Laurel's eyes shot open staring in the dark gray eyes of Boromir. The man who seemed to have rescued her twice now. Trying to pull herself together and trying to calm her rushing heart and breathing she realizing that she had possibly screamed loud enough for all of Rivendell to hear. That was somewhat embarrassing. He looked concerned and worried, maybe about her mental stability she did not know. Trying to look nonchalant and as though this was merely a simple dream she gave him a weak smile.

"Thank You, Boromir. And yes I do know it was only a dream, though it was hard to get out of. I appreciate you waking me up. Do you know how long I have been asleep?" She asked him, trying to keep him from prying about her dream. It wasn't something you really wanted to go around telling people about.

"Perhaps an hour, maybe two. I do not know when you fell asleep. Could I ask you what troubled you so much in your sleep. It must have been terrifying, if it was enough to make you scream." Laurel's prayers that he would not ask about the dream were not answered. She sighed, maybe he would know some way to cure nightmares, she thought.

"It's nothing really." she lied "I've had this dream for as long as I can remember but it never seems to be less frightening. I see only black, until all I see is fire, stupid really but it seems like there is much more to it. There's noise that seems to surround me, and kind of overwhelms me. I'm sorry." Feeling really embarrassed and not sure what to say next.

"Don't apologize, I'm sure it was much more upsetting then you described." he seemed to be giving a weak attempt at calming her, which put a little smirk on Laurel's face. She looked at him, and when his eyes met hers she felt a little chill carry up along her spine. Quickly looking down and not wanting to sit in silence anymore she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Did you hear me screaming or was there another reason you decided to come here?" Almost wishing she could take back her words the second she said them. They could really be taken only so many ways, and she didn't want to sound like a bitch. Though it didn't look as though he had taken it that way.

"Oh no, I didn't hear you scream, not until I came to the door, I thought you may be in trouble and when I entered it appeared that you were having a nightmare. I quickly woke you, but I was coming to your room to give you these." In his hands were the necklace that she had fallen into the stream for, and her purse. "The bag was entwined around your legs when I came upon you and the necklace was clutched in your hands. I am sorry I did not give them to you the moment we were off of the horse but I had a pressing matter to attend to and you were being rushed off by a serving girl." He finished. Curiosity had killed the cat but it had never mentioned anything about her before hand.

"What was that 'pressing matter' ?" she blurted out, just wanting to know what he counted as important, and thanking God that he had held onto her purse. Though now noticing that it was still damp. "My purse is wet!" She exclaimed realizing a little to late how absolutely snobby that had sounded, she was lucky to still have it.

"Yes Milady, it was with you in the river, so one would guess that while in water something would get wet. You have had more of a chance to dry than it has." he stated simply, trying to keep a smile off of his face. "And my pressing matter was a council, with Elrond, the man you met out near the stables, and many other people who I doubt you would know much about."

"Oh, what was the 'council' about?" she asked, though quickly adding "if you don't mind me asking." Hoping she hadn't asked about something terribly important.

He seemed to look her over, maybe wondering why she was asking so many questions. When she thought he may let something slip, but then he seemed to think better of it and said "It is not supposed to be spoken of with those who did not attend the council, though it was decided that you would come along with the Nine Companions who will set out from Rivendell on a quest. Since Elrond believes that your home will lie along the paths we will travel. In my opinion you should stay here and wait for safer times to travel, but Elrond has won over my opinion, though I also think it is shared by the others who travel also." Trying to figure out his backward talk, she gathered that he had said she would be traveling with nine others. Though she was not sure of everything, and so far she had gotten a lot of information from him by just asking for it.

"Wait, did you say you were traveling among the nine others?" she asked trying to decipher everything that he had said throughout the quick blurb of information.

"Yes, they will pass along the way to my home, Gondor. Do not be frightened to be traveling the ones whom you travel with are among the best of their people. Just do not tell them I have said it." he added with a sheepish smile. She guess he was one of the people who are rarely caught giving people compliments.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it our little secret." she smiled back at him. "Though I'm pretty sure you won't find my home on this 'journey'. I don't even know my way home, how would any of you. I just want to get home to my Dad, he must be so worried. I don't want him to think I've run away. He's all I have."

"Dad?" he asked, as though he had never heard the word before in his life.

"Yes my dad, my father, the man who's been in my life since I was born. We're all we really have for each other, my mom died at the end of last year, in December. I'm just starting to get back on my feet." she said, wishing she hadn't darkened the mood mentioning death, she was glad to be talking to someone, someone who didn't run away afraid that the death of a loved one was contagious or something. Talking to someone made the world seem nicer. It made the place seem more real and less like a hallucination or some weird fantasy.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I hope we can help you find your way along this treacherous journey. I'm sure you will see your father again soon, as I hope to see mine." he smiled at her, as though he wanted her to believe his words.

"Would you like to see a picture of him, I have it in my purse, I hope it wasn't ruined in the water." she said, as she went into her purse, letting the contents that spilled out fall on to the bed around her.

" You carry a painting of your father in your purse?" he asked "You must have the finest artists to paint something small enough to keep in that tiny bag." now looking at Laurel as though she were a princess in some fairytale, with a magic bag or hat. (^_^)

Laurel smiled at his ignorance, "No it's a picture, not a painting." she said looking up into his beautiful gray eyes. As she looked back down she found her wallet and took out a picture of her, and her parent when they went to Niagara Falls. "See it's a picture, not a painting, you take a picture with a camera, no paint involved. It's very simple. That's my Dad and the woman with the black hair is my mom. That's was two summers ago. It was one of the most fun weekends of my life." she sighed as Boromir looked at the picture as though it was one of the greatest treasures he had ever seen. "Do you have more of these pictures, it is like magic, as though you have frozen time." He looked at her in awe, she had never seen someone so moved by such a tiny thing.

"Yah, I haven't really cleaned out my wallet in awhile." and she handed him the long strip of pictures, many of them with her friends, the ones who had just ran when she lost her mom. She never understood why they hadn't managed to handle the loss at all. She glanced over at Boromir, who was sitting on the edge of the bed looking avidly at the pictures in his hands.

"Who are these girls?" he asked, pointing at a picture, one of the ones you take at the mall where you crowd into a booth and get four tiny pictures.

"Oh them, just friends, I guess." she replied.

"You guess?" he asked "How can you just guess? A friend is a friend, there is no in-betweens, they either are or they aren't." he stated quite simply.

"Well they were my friends, until last year. They haven't really been there for me lately. I've kind of been on my own. When my mom died, they just sort of left. I'm kind of a loner now, supposedly I'm selfish and self - centered to still be upset about my mothers death. I do know that's its almost been a year but its hard to stop caring and forget her. Do you understand or am I just scaring you?" she asked realizing most guys don't want to hear about your problems, they want to have fun, not listen to the pathetic problems of a teenage girl.

"No you aren't scaring me, I understand how that can happen, many people don't want to hear about the death of a loved one. It's something I can relate to also Lady. I lost my mother when I was younger, and those who were true friends proved themselves and those who weren't left. It is a part of life, and things do get better." he answered, surprising her and leaving her speechless.

"Oh, I'm sorry you lost someone too and I hope it does get better." She said, hoping she didn't burst into tears, and give this guy some terrifying shock.

"Do not fret Laurel. It does get easier, but you won't ever forget her, not if she met something." he told her, then he gave her a quick hug and stood up quickly off of the bed. "Well I must go and speak with some of my counselors, we have perhaps a day before we go off on the journey. Try to get as much comfort as you can because the journey will not be anywhere close to comfortable." he said, adding the quickest of smiles. "Would you like me to collect you before lunch, so you do not loose your way?" he asked her, becoming somewhat distant as he got up.

"Yes, thank you although it may not be such a terrible thing to get lost in such a beautiful place." she said, looking around her at the beautiful room, wondering if every room in the 'city' was as beautiful. Boromir seemed to have been looking around the same way Laurel had. When he looked down at her sitting cross-legged with her brown hair spilling over her shoulders, eyes expectant as though waiting for him to reply.

"Perhaps you are right, Lady Laurel, perhaps you are. I shall be here before lunch begins, so until then." he bowed, which got a giggle out of Laurel. Looking confused, nodded to Laurel and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving laurel to her own devices for less than an hour.

A/N: Oh my goodness, all that took almost 3 hours! Pathetic, going through it, it looks like nothing, my brain has gone to mush! My god I hope this pulls in some more reviews :P Well if there are any problems just give me a shout and I'll fix it as best as I can. I felt like I had left out so much. So this was the paragraph to the get the ball rolling with Boromir and Laurel. And it'll help in later chapters. So rock on!

~ Jhesika

P.S sorry for all that friend crap just wanted people to know that Laurel was a loner. It was making me angry so I kind of rushed through. ^_^ and I dunno for sure but I think Boromir 's mommy is dead. I dunno if no, it is in this story hehe