-Now that is a welcome change! You almost look like a normal person, Stormlaughter!

-Thank you, Gimli! I'm glad to see you are in a better mood! Did you work some magic on him, Legolas?

-No, I'm afraid it's all your doing. He likes to be around pretty ladies. Come! The meal is ready!

Legolas smiled.

I guess they had never seen a person eat as fast as I did. It took me a while to realize it, too. They were both looking amazed at me. I choked with the food and blushed to the top of my ears. What an embarrassing moment! I slowed down and tried to chew more, doing my best to hold back how hungry I really was.

-This was the best meal I've had in a long time! Congratulations to the chef!

-'What's a chef?' wondered Gimli.

-That's the cook. But you haven't eaten anything! Aren't you hungry at all?

-Well, we !

-'We ate earlier, while you were asleep, didn't we, Gimli?' said Legolas, interrupting his friend. 'We're not hungry now. I'm glad you enjoyed the food! '

Gimli mumbled something, but then he understood what Legolas meant and he smiled. I understood too. And felt so ashamed! I had eaten everything and left nothing for them. They couldn't even touch it! I felt grateful to Legolas for being so understanding in this matter.

-Now that you have eaten and rested, can you clear some facts foe us? What are you? Where do you come from? And how do you know so much about us?

-I'm not sure how to answer you. It's a little hard to explain. I'm a girl, like any other girl you might meet here. I 'm just not from around . this world! I come from a place called 'Earth' and it's much different from Middle-Earth. Not the scenery, but the way people live and think, the tools and weapons they have. We know some facts about you, like the story of The Ring, but I don't know how we know them. These facts are children fairy- tales for us. You can't even imagine how shocked I was to see that it all exists! I must say, your world is far nicer than mine. You say we met fifty years ago, but for me it's only been a month! I'm not sure how to relate our worlds! I don't even know how or why did I get here. I am not sorry it happened, because I wanted to meet you guys from the first time I heard of you. Better said, I read about you!

-'There are books about us?' asked Gimli. 'I'm in a book?'

-Yes. Books, movies.

-Movies?

-Never mind! I might explain it to you some other day. As I was saying, I came here several days ago and I guess I landed in Mordor. Such an awful place! All dead and deserted! I had to pass by Minas Morgul to get out of there! (I whispered the name, remembering the frightful moments.) I'm happy my mind is still in one piece! But enough about me! What are you two doing here? How did you arrive at precisely the right moment?

-I'll tell you. As you might know, Aragorn has the Palantri now. He saw orcs wandering about this part of Ithilien and asked us to come and look around for a while. That's why we were able to aid you in your time of need.

-I just hope I can do the same for you someday! Silly me! I didn't even thank you! You saved my life! Thank you! I wonder what I should do now. Where should I go? I don't know anybody here. I'm a stranger!

-'You can stay with us if you like! We'll look after you!' said Legolas, surprised at his own words.

-'Oh, thank you!' I jumped up and gave them both a big hug. They were astonished!

-Hmm . You'd better get used to this kind of behavior from me! I'm used to showing people how I feel. Back home this is a natural thing and nobody looks as surprised and uneasy as you two look! I don't bite! . Usually! A hug never killed anybody as far as I know!

We became good friends during the next weeks. We journeyed through Ithilien to and fro. As the days passed, they both became dearer and dearer to me. It was hard no to! I don't think anybody could have resisted them. They made such a funny couple! So different and yet so much alike! Sometimes Gimli would ask me all sorts of questions about how we do this and that back home. I tried to remember all the dwarf stories I had heard when I was a child. At night, by the fire, I would 'perform' one story to them the best way I knew how. They both listened carefully, attentive like children to every word I said. Gimli was so proud to hear stories about his own kin! I told them sad stories, funny stories, I even told them "The 1001 Arabian Nights". I loved to see them laugh, to catch that light of interest in their eyes! They made a great audience! Legolas told me stories of his own, memories of his first years of life. He told me about his home far away in Mirkwood, about plants and trees. Gimli, on the other hand, filled my head with mining stories, how to carve wood, how to smash a boulder or to shape a rock. Quite boring stuff, but since it fascinated him, I tried to seem interested in his words.

They soon got used to my way of being, because I hugged them and kissed them for every little thing they done for me. Gimli carved me a long, thick stick, with pointy ends and showed me how to use it in order to defend myself. Legolas tried to teach me how to use the sword and the bow, but soon gave it up. 'A tree would aim better than you do! Are you blind? Don't point that at me!' He really lost his patience with me. I showed no skills for these things at all. But since I proved real talents in handling the stick, Gimli inserted a sharp blade at one end, turning it into 'a worthy weapon', after his own words.

Sometimes they would sing to me. Their voices were a bless to the soul. Legolas was an excellent singer and even thou he usually sang in his own language, by the tones of his voice I somehow imagined what it was about. One night, I got close to Gimli while he was enjoying his pipe.

-Can I try this?

Gimli looked surprised, but he smiled understandingly and gave me a second pipe he had. We both sat there, enjoying a good tobacco. Gimli was thrilled to have a companion.

-'You smoke?' asked Legolas, turning up his nose at us. 'I would've thought better of you!'

"Great! Just great! " I thought. "Now he'll start seeing all the flaws in me! It's just what I needed!"