Chapter 2

The Meeting

Kay increased the pressure on the accelerator, glancing at the glowing green numbers of her clock: 6:46PM. Her mother was going to blow! Kay took the back roads hoping to make up time without the traffic. The gold ring glittered in the moonlight against her chest and began to glow.

Kay pushed the gas till she hit 60mph, mumbling to herself about "time flying". She rounded a sharp corner and gasped. Just ahead were three deer in the middle of the road. Crying out, she swerved so she wouldn't hit the creatures. Losing control of her car, she went over a steep hill. Kay screamed as she crashed through the trees. Her panic ridden mind held onto one thought: this was where Dad died!

Ahead she saw a huge tree. She screamed and covered her face. The impact was like hitting a brick wall, and then she knew nothing more.

*

Kay came to slowly, blinking her eyes open. Blinding pain seared in her skull and shoulder. Biting back a cry of pain, Kay used her good arm to push herself up. She was lying face down in the leaves. Remembering the crash, she was amazed that she was still alive. She must have been out for hours, for the sky was already beginning to lighten with morning light. It was very overcast and gray. Kay shivered, her clothes were wet with dew and she looked around.

Surprisingly, she saw no sign of her car, not one scrap of metal. At the speed she was going, the car must have been totaled. It was nowhere to be seen at all! In fact, she didn't recognize where she was either. The forest was different, no sounds of the highway that should be near, no houses.

"Oh god, where am I?" she whispered. She started to rise, but pain shot through her shoulder, causing her to stagger. She gripped her shoulder, noting it was turned at a funny angle. "Shit," she cursed. The pain in her head had diminished to a dull throb. She touched her forehead, her fingers coming away sticky with blood.

Then it began to rain.

She knelt on the soft ground, dejectedly, holding her injured arm. The rain pelted down on the girl, soaking her clothing instantly and washing away the blood fro her face. Kay glared up into the sky and frowned.

"I didn't even say it couldn't get any worse!" she cried to the heavens in anger, shaking her fist. She sighed, and struggled to her feet. The rain had no sign of letting up and she couldn't just stay there. She looked down at herself, her pants were torn, her knees bloodied and her sweatshirt was all muddy. Then she saw the gold ring dangling from its chain over her chest. "Well, at least I still have this, if I need to I could sell it, that is if I can find some type of civilization," she said to herself and tucked the ring inside her shirt. Feeling the cold metal against her skin made her shiver, but it was a strange cold that touched her inside.

Her instinct told her to go toward the north, but something else…the ring? told her to the east. Shaking away the feeling and trusting her own instincts she began walking, bracing her injured arm with her other one. The rain poured down on her and she shivered.

Even as it lightened throughout the day, Kay stumbled through the wet, muddy ground. Her shoulder and head were flaring with pain. Unheeded tears of pain and frustration mixed with the rain on her face. Kay walked mindlessly, not really noticing where she was going. She walked the most of the day, stopping only once when she found a stream to drink from. The cold water hit her empty stomach like a ton of bricks and she just threw it up again. Sitting on the wet ground for a while, she waited for her stomach to stop heaving.

She managed to find some mushrooms, hoping they were edible and she ate them. They seemed to sit fine and she continued her seemingly fruitless trek through the wilderness.

It was beginning to get dark again and her shoulder and head hurt worse then ever. The coming darkness made it hard for her to see and she stumbled more often. She was unable to see the drop off in front of her, until it was too late. She cried out and went tumbling head over heals to the bottom. She hit her shoulder more than once and came to rest face down in the leaves, again. She screamed in pain once before she was dragged down into unconsciousness once more.

*

Something poked at her side, and Kay stirred. She groaned in pain, and tried to curl into a fetal position. The thing poked her again and she could hear a voice now. It was a man's voice.

"…could be ….spy…after the.…Queen," he said and Kay struggled to open her eyes. Another voice joined the first.

"Clothes…. strange, maybe…. north." She felt a boot nudge into her side, and she was turned over. She moaned and gasped in pain from her shoulder. Through a thick fog, she could make out two forms over her, large and in armor. One held a sword out, pointing it down at her. She tried to speak but her voice came out as only a weak croak.

"By all that is good! It's a girl!" and one bent down. Black was edging around Kay's vision and she felt unconsciousness pulling at her again. "Can you hear me? Are you hurt?" he said. Kay tried to answer but her shoulder flared pain again and she passed out.

*

When Kay awoke again, she felt warmer and her shoulder did not have so much pain as it did. She was cocooned in something warm and soft, and could hear a fire crackling nearby. She listened closer and heard someone humming from beside her. Kay decided to open her eyes and find out whom.

She was in a decent sized tent, large enough for a full-grown man to stand up in. She was lying on a plush pallet, covered in warm linens and furs. Her injured arm was secured to her chest, in a sort of sling. There was a bandage around her head and a pungent scent of herbs. The humming stopped and Kay looked to her right.

The most beautiful woman she had ever seen knelt beside her, smiling. Her long raven hair fell about her shoulders in elegant waves. She wore an elaborately embroidered, long blue tunic and light gray trousers. Encircling her head was a circlet of gold, and she had the most amazing eyes Kay had ever seen; they were filled with starlight. The woman spoke softly, her voice like a calm song.

"Hello, child. How are you feeling?" she asked. Kay moved experimentally under her covers, shifting her weight. She grimaced as her shoulder pained, but it was definitely better then before.

"Better, thank you," she answered. The lady smiled and reached for something. She held a silver goblet out to Kay, helping her to drink. It was cool, clean water and it quenched her thirst like nothing else. When she had drank her fill, the woman pulled the goblet away. "Who are you? Where am I?" Kay asked. The lady smiled.

"I am Arwen, daughter of Elrond and Queen of Gondor, this is mine and my husband's tent. Our guards found you along the road, they thought you to be a foreign spy sent to assassinate us," she smiled, as if she thought this was amusing. "My husband was able to replace your shoulder and tended your head wound. It is a wonder you were still coherent at all with such injuries," she said. Kay smiled, wryly.

"Get it from my father's side," she said. The tent flap opened, admitting a tall man. His dark hair fell to his shoulders and he had neatly trimmed beard. He wore a black tunic over silver chain mail and black riding pants. He smiled warmly when he saw Kay awake. He came over to the two and knelt beside Arwen.

"Well, it is good to see you awake," he said. "I see you have met my wife," he nodded to Arwen and took her hand in his. Wife? This must be the King! "I am King Elessar, your clothes are strange and you do not look like you are from here? What is your name?" he asked.

"Kaylen Nogard, your highness," she said. "But just call me Kay, it's easier." The King nodded.

"And you can call me Aragorn, but I have some questions for you if you feel up to it?" he asked. Kay nodded. Aragorn leaned closer, his face darkening. "Where did you get that ring?" he asked venomously. Kay cowered away from the man, then looked down at the ring where it still lay against her chest. It was then that she noticed that her clothes were gone!

"Hey! Where are my clothes, you pervert!" she growled and gathered the bedclothes closer to herself. Arwen laid a hand on her husband's arm, calming him. He turned to her and they spoke in a strange lilting language. Kay looked between them, not understanding. When they had finished speaking, Aragorn turned to Kay again. "My wife says there is no darkness in you, yet I must know how you came to posses that ring," he said in a calmer manner. Kay grasped the gold ring, looking at the man confused.

"Some guy gave it to me, why?" she asked. Aragorn took a deep breath and spoke again.

"What was this man's name?" he asked.

"Soren something-or-other, he said he didn't want it and he gave it to me. I said I would pay him for it, but he insisted. Here, you can have it!" she reached up to unclasp the chain. Her fingers searched for the hook, but did not find it. Kay frowned. "Where is the damn thing?" she grumbled, bending her neck to look at the chain, turning it in a full circle, but there was no clasp to be had. She looked up again at Aragorn, his eyes were dark but mot malicious, he seemed to be worried. Kay, getting very nervous, yanked on the chain, hoping to break it. "OW!" she cried out, as the chain bit into her skin. She met Aragorn's gaze. "I can't get it off…" she said, softly, fearing his anger.

The king looked at his wife, then back at the girl. He reached out a hand.

"May I see it?" he asked. Kay nodded and sat up, her face contorted in pain but she gritted her teeth and moved through it. Aragorn reached out to touch the ring, but pulled back his hand at the last second. Kay looked from him to the ring she held, and then she noticed something different about it.

"Hey! The writing is gone!" she exclaimed. At this, Aragorn started.

"What writing?" he asked. Kay turned her gaze to the king once more.

"The strange writing that was on the ring before, it's gone." Aragorn's face went pale. He cleared his throat.

"Do you know what it said?" he asked. Kay shook her head, but this made her dizzy again and she slowly laid back down.

"No, it looked like some type of calligraphy, little swirls and such," she said. "Soren said it was poetry of some kind." Aragorn nodded. He turned to his wife and the conversed again in their strange tongue. After a while, Arwen turned to the girl, her face was grave.

"Kaylen, this ring is evil, I cannot tell you anymore than that now. You are going to come with us to see my father; he is wise and will know what to do. Though I fear for your safety," said the queen. Her hair moved a bit and revealed one delicately pointed ear. Kay gasped and Arwen cocked her head to one side, silently asking.

"You – you're an elf!" Kay whispered in awe. Arwen smiled softly and nodded. Kay turned to Aragorn. "Are you an elf too?" she asked. The man laughed and shook his head.

"No, I am not of the Eldar race, though I was raised with them, I am just a man," he answered. "We will leave in the morn, so rest now, your shoulder will need a long time to fully heal," he leaned down and touched her head with his fingertips. "I know you mean no harm to us, but that ring is…vile. I have seen it before, though I thought it had been destroyed, apparently we were wrong," he looked at his wife gravely. "Try and sleep now, Kay." And they left.

Kay lay for a while, quietly on her bed. She gingerly took the ring between her fingers and looked at it. It looked like just a plain gold ring, but once more, she felt that strange power deep inside, it made her shiver. She dropped the ring, wishing to any god who would listen that she could take the cursed thing off.

A/N – How is it? Please review! I hope it will come out like I hope, but hey! *shrug* Tell me what you think!