Title: Turn of the Tide
Disclaimer: I do own the characters and ideas that you don't recognize, but sadly for me I don't own any of Tolkien's work, and for that matter I don't own Legolas. *Sighs sadly*
Rating: Pg13
Chapter 1 - A Life of turmoil
The golden sun hung low on a cool, crisp; winter's evening, proud in an orange sky without cloud. The streets were noisy bustling with cars and traffic, everyone trying to get home to a nice, quiet evening with their families. Lauren was walking slowly home, not in any particular hurry. She instead enjoyed the breeze that swept through her hair and whipped across her face, always giving her a sense of freshness that you couldn't feel at any other time of day.
It had been a normal day, like any other that she had lived. It was a Friday, meaning that tomorrow was Saturday and therefore no school. Lauren thanked the heavens, she couldn't stand school. School is a place where everyone is judged on their popularity, looks and social status, not on their personality. You are in a constant battle to be 'the most powerful', i.e. always having, and similarly being invited to, the coolest parties, getting any guy or girl that you set your eyes on, fighting anyone you consider 'lower' than yourself, and the small matter of sitting on the right table at lunch. Oh, there were the lessons, yet nobody gave them a second thought.
Lauren was constantly fighting in the battle, for you had no choice, but she didn't care if she won or lost. She had a group of close friends who she hung around with, and got occasional party invites, but she didn't bother going. She didn't see the point in getting drunk out of her head, and making an idiotic guys fantasy come true to have a hangover and forget the stupid things you did the next morning. However the same didn't go for the majority of students that fought at Farrowdown High.
However Lauren didn't belong to the majority populace of the students at Farrowdown. She was an extremely hard person to get along with. Her fiery temper and quick wit often got her into trouble, and her patience was as short lived as the memory of a goldfish. She hated social gatherings purely for the fact that they were terribly boring. She wasn't the girls who spent hours worrying about appearance then having a fit every time she broke a nail. She was the one who would seek adventure.
And she was also one who could hide her emotions with the best of them. She would laugh and smile, but nearly all were false. She hated emotions that she allowed to show out of her grasp, especially tears of sadness. She didn't cry in public, even amongst a friend. But sometimes in her solitude single tears would be shed.
The sun had nearly fallen into night when Lauren finally turned into her street in the suburbs of London. She lived in a reasonably large town that was less than 10 minutes from the capital city. Lauren preferred the countryside for it's freedom, but she was grateful that her home was on the outskirts of town, near to a small forest that she often wandered aimlessly in.
The sun had been replaced with a moon when she got to the front door and turned the key in the lock. She quietly let herself in, not surprised to see that her home was covered in a darkness. Her parents worked late every night, they owned a business together. Therefore they were always working. Lauren didn't really mind, she loved to be alone with herself. She walked down into the wooden kitchen, and was immediately knocked down to the hard floor.
"Owww, Pepper.stop licking me.get up you mutt!" Lauren laughed as the golden Labrador bounced in circles around her master. Lauren let her out into the garden. Pepper was like her best friend; she had always been good with animals and had a way with them. Sometimes she could swear that they understood her, though her parents and friends said she was crazy.
Crazy she thought; the word swimming in her head as she looked through the pantry for some jam. That's what everyone thinks I am. Lauren, the one who doesn't go to parties. The one who confides in animals. Lauren, the one that loves to be alone. That is why she had no patience for a lot of people, the ones that always judged her on what she does and not on who she is.
"Who am I?" she asked herself as she placed two slices of toast in the toaster. She suddenly realized that she hadn't turned the kitchen light on and had left the back door wide open. Pepper was sat on staring up at her master, watching her curiously. Lauren quickly shut the back door as the air outside was cold and miserable. She left the kitchen light off though, the darkness just felt right to Lauren.
She quickly made herself her snack, slightly toasted bread with raspberry jam (yummy!!), and went up to her room. Her room was rather large, but crowded with all her belongings that she couldn't bare to throw away. It was painted purple and blue, and cluttered with candles and books. Lauren was a very passionate reader; she spent a lot of time sitting in a tree engrossed in a good novel. She loved the sense of adventure in The Lord of the Rings, the magic in Harry Potter, and the mysteries in Sherlock Holmes. She would read anything and everything, yet to her peers this was a pathetic waste of time, and frankly they thought reading was boring. Unless of course it was the latest fashion and gossip magazines that portrayed super skinny girls and the new seasons' clothes.
Lauren went over to the mirror on her vanity table that overlooked the garden. She sat down directly in front of it, and gazed at her reflection. Her skin was a creamy colour, speckled with a few freckles across her cheeks. Her lips were like the colour of her skin, but perhaps a little more peachy. Her eyes however were a contrast to her creamy face and lips, for they were large and very dark - black almost. Her mother said that sometimes when she was angry, Laurens eyes would blaze in fury and it was as if a small flame was alight in them. Lauren loved the idea that she had an inner fire that burned out of control when she got mad, which happened very often.
The weirdest thing about her face was the shape of her ears. At a glance, they were normal and not given a second thought. However Lauren noticed that up close it was almost if they were different. She didn't know why but she just had the feeling. The same feeling you get when you know that what you're doing is wrong yet feels right. Everyone said that Lauren's best feature was her hair- for it was raven in colour and flowed as straight as a pin down her back. Lauren didn't think that she was pretty in the slightest, although she knew that she wasn't horribly disfigured either. But then beauty never mattered to Lauren as she hated the way in which girls made themselves up with layers of make up, hiding who they really were beneath a fake mask.
Lauren was suddenly disrupted from her thoughts when she heard the front door slam shut downstairs. She suddenly realised that time had slipped past her again, and glanced quickly to see what the time was. It was getting close to 7:30! Lauren couldn't believe that she had wasted over an hour in her thoughts. She quickly changed from her school uniform into a pair of jeans and a sweater, and went down the stairs to greet her parents.
"Did you have a good day, sweetie?" they cried as she walked into the kitchen. Lauren cringed, she hated the way they treated her like a baby, god she was nearly 16. Her mother was busy starting to prepare a meal, a rather large meal Lauren noticed in dismay.
"Mum, isn't that a rather a lot of food for us all to eat?" she asked pointedly as she sat at the table, dreading the answer. Her mother was chopping up a variety of exotic vegetables, and a rather large ham was simmering in the oven.
"Oh didn't we tell you love," her father began as he sat opposite her, "We're having a small dinner party for some new clients. Hopefully they'll be interesting in purchasing-" Her father trailed on into a long discussion, but Lauren tuned out. Her parents weren't half boring sometimes, especially when they were rambling on about business. She began to chew her nails, wondering how the hell she would get out of this one, when her father slapped her on the head with a newspaper.
"Owww, why did you do that dad?" she asked as she rubbed the sore spot on her head, like it had actually hurt her.
"Because you weren't paying attention. I was just asking you whether you were going out tonight like a normal 15 year old, or whether you were planning on staying in with us."
"I heard from Kelly's mum that there was going to be a rather large party at Tracy's. Are you going?" Lauren gagged. Kelly and Tracey were her absolute enemies. Stupid bimbo's who chased boys around endlessly, flaunting their hair and battering their eyelashes to get the attention of any male.
Her mother had stopped chopping up vegetables, and was now eyeing her daughter.
"What?" Lauren asked, slightly annoyed that they were staring at her.
"Well, are you going?"
"No! I hate parties; you know that more than anyone does."
Yet another deafening silence enclosed the room. But no words were needed to paint the picture; the images on Lauren's parents' faces spoke a story of their own. Lauren couldn't stand their pitying looks; they gnawed slowly away at her. Rather than stay and fight like a teenager should, Lauren just ran from the room, as quickly as a trapped dear ran for freedom.
She ran to the trees by the fence, and climbed it with practiced ease. She sat up in the tallest branches for a while, the wind whistling around her, lashing out across her face. She shivered, forgetting earlier how cold the evening had become. She hugged her knees to her chest, as far as they would let her go trying to keep herself warm. She wouldn't let in yet, she would stay out here all night if need be to prove a point. She glanced at the kitchen window, and saw her parents continuing to prepare for their 'dinner party'. They didn't bother coming outside to talk to her, but for this she was glad.
They didn't really understand her, no-one did. No-one could possibly know all of her secrets and why she felt so tormented, no-one bothered to listen. Of course Lauren didn't hate parties, she'd give nearly anything to go to one and just have a good time like any other girl her age. But she told herself long ago that she wouldn't go and be like them, not after the way she had been treated.
Memories were a strange thing, wonderful they could be but they could sometimes be the strongest person's ultimate weakness in a time of crisis. How they come back, and haunt you so that you never forget. Lauren could never forget the day of her tenth birthday, a day that changed her life. Her parents had taken her ice skating with her friends as a treat. Lauren had always been a fan of brightly coloured clothes, and that day she wore her favourite rainbow top and orange jeans, and put glitter in her hair so that it sparkled when the light shone on it right. She actually thought that she looked quite pretty.
But then she had been teased. Whilst her parents had left to go and get a drink and her friends were on the other side of the rink, Kelly and Tracey had caught up with Lauren and 'accidentally' tripped her up. To make matters even worse, they said that she looked absolutely hideous and so ugly that her parents were ashamed that she was their daughter. Lauren had been too afraid after that to wear her bright clothes again, the memory still taunted her.
Lauren sighed as she tilted her head back, up among the branches above she made out a few stars, though a very threatening storm cloud had brewed and was enveloping them. Probably from my mood she chuckled to herself as wondered what she could do. She had a deep urge to go riding out over the fields, although it was late and her parents would be disappointed that she had gone wandering. But they had their 'dinner party' to occupy their time; she would have 2 hours at least before they'd start to look for her.
"Ah, what the heck!" Lauren carefully looked out over the fence onto the road on the other side to check that no-one was watching. I mean, wouldn't you wonder why someone was jumping over a large garden fence at night? She was glad to see that the coast was clear. She sidled over the strongest branch to the edge, then making sure that she had a good grip with her hands, she let her feet fall behind down towards the ground before she let go. She hit the ground in a toppled mess however, as she wasn't a very graceful faller.
The journey to the stables where she rode often would only take ten minutes on foot, but she didn't like the idea of being alone along the road. Only a few cars passed her by, but she didn't like the way that the headlights caught onto her like a spotlight. So she hurried along, across the field as a short cut. This proved to be a very bad choice, as she couldn't see where she was walking. Lauren found herself tripping over small rocks and her feet falling into small holes in the ground.
After ten minutes she finally reached the yard where she helped out and rode. It was a friendly place, always busy with life during the day. Lauren was surprised to find that it was empty, aside from the horses off course and the cats that roamed freely. However she welcomed the solitude. She suddenly shivered as the wind blew even harder, whipping her hair across her face. She ran inside the large barn, and engulfed the smell of the horses that she loved so dearly. She wished that people were like horses for horses were easier to get along with. They didn't care what you looked like or how you acted. Just as long as you trusted them and they trusted you.
Lauren knew the owners of the stables very well, and she actually got along with them. They didn't mind if she would take one of their horses for a ride, they knew that she could handle them. Lauren ran around past the horses down the middle until she reached Crystal Dragon's stable.
Crystal was Laurens favourite horse. He was arrogant, and didn't trust many riders. Yet Lauren had a way with him, and they shared a very special bond. He was a great chestnut steed and was at least 16hh, which was good for Lauren as she was rather tall. He neighed and snorted when he saw her approach, bucking in his stable eager to get outside.
"Hello you beauty," she cooed as he calmed down enough to let her stoke his nose. "How about we go on a little ride?" He snorted in his turn, making the girl laugh. "I'll take that as a yes then!"
Lauren quickly tacked him up as fast as her nimble fingers would let her. She borrowed a coat from the tack room remembering how cold it was and the threatening cloud that grew outside. She didn't bother with a hat or gloves though, but she did braid her long hair quickly.
She led him out near the gate, yet didn't open it. Crystal will jump it easily she thought as she mounted the horse. He reared as soon as she was seated, and made straight for the gate. Lauren barely had time to prepare herself for the jump yet cast every worry away as he lifted himself from the ground over the gate. He landed swiftly, his black mane billowing in the wind.
Crystal galloped off over to the forest that lay over the other side of the field. Lauren glanced over at the outskirts of the town, seeing the lights and imagining the dreadful noise from the loud music of the party that she was 'missing out' on. She definitely wasn't missing anything, for she was riding fast over the grass, as swift as the river flows. She focused on the soft sounds of Crystal's hooves as they gently pounded on the ground below, steady like the murmur of a heartbeat. If Lauren could have heard it, then she would have realised that her heart was beating in time with his hooves.
A small drizzle had started when Lauren finally reached the edge of the forest. The blaze in eyes her was extinguished yet she bore a true smile on her face. She dismounted off from the horses back, and silently led him into the shelter of the trees. Her face was dripping with water and she was cold, but she was finally happy. She tied Crystal to a large tree, and climbed up one opposite. It was black in the stillness of the night, apart from the small occasional rustles of wind caressing the leaves.
All was silent for a while, and Lauren pondered thoughts in her memory. She dreaded going back home, but knew that she must eventually. Suddenly the air around her got colder, and she could hear Crystal snorting below. "What's wrong?" she asked as she slid down the tree. Rain was falling harder now, and the wind was attacking the trees with a fearful force. The sounds made it unpleasant and Lauren has a feeling that she wasn't safe.
A noise behind her startled her, the snapping of a twig. Lauren whirled around, cautious eyes roaming for the source of a noise. "Who's there?" she asked nervously. No reply. She patted Crystal on the neck, trying to calm him down yet there was fear in his dark eyes.
Another twig snapped to the left of her, making her jump. The horse bucked knocking Lauren to the ground. "What do you want?" she screamed in fear for all to hear. "I'm warning you show yourself!"
A strong hand picked her up off the floor. Lauren screamed. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY!" She backed up against a strong tree but bumped into it, causing her to whirl round in shock. She was terrified that something was going to happen to her.
"Now just calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." The voice was gentle, yet firm. It seemed to Lauren that it was the voice of an old man.
"Who. who. are you?" she managed to blurt out through chattering teeth. She could see a tall figure in the darkness; he appeared to be carrying some sort of tall stick and had a hat on his head.
"I am a traveller from a faraway distant land then I doubt you will know very much of, yet you've most probably heard of. I've been searching for you for several days, and it is most fortunate that I come across you at this time. Though it is highly unusual to find you in this forest."
Lauren didn't know what was happening. This man had been searching for her. Why? She was nothing special, just an average girl near enough. She shook her head; her vision was beginning to cloud over.
"Searching for me?" she managed to whisper. "Why?"
"Because you don't belong here. Lauren."
Lauren gasped. How did he know her name? This was too much. Her head was spinning and she couldn't stand much longer. As she slid down to the ground, the old man caught her in his arms. She could here Crystal stomping and neighing in the distance, though it seemed far away like the wind and rain.
"Who . are . you?" It was barely a whisper, yet he heard her well enough. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms.
"I am Gandalf the Grey, and I've come to take you home." There was a great flash of white light, Lauren could feel it. Home? But she had one. She began to fall, fall down and down. It seemed like ages to her. She could feel his arms holding her tightly, yet thought no more as the darkness enveloped her and she hit the ground with a thud.
"Welcome to Middle Earth, little angel." She could remember no more.
*flashback*
"Mummy, I don't want to go.why are you doing this? Why must I go away.Mummy? What's happening?"
"Hush, Tarwenmir, hush! Everything will be alright, you mustn't panic. Hurry along now.we must go to Mithrandir!"
"But why mummy? Daddy will be home soon.look, there he is now! DADDY!"
"Tarwenmir NO! Run child, RUN!!!"
"But.but."
"GO NOW! I'll deal with daddy-go out the back!"
"Mummy.where are you? Mummy? Daddy? Oh no HELP ME!"
*end flashback*
"NO!" Lauren screamed in terror as she opened her eyes and sat up. "It was just a dream.thank the heavens!" She was gasping for air, the memories of the screams of terror in the night chilling her down to the bone. She took in deep breaths, trying to calm her shivering body down. It wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare.
Lauren looked around, suddenly realising that she didn't have a clue where she was. She tried to recall what had happened last night, but she found it difficult. Her head and her back were aching from a new wound, but she had no idea how she had got them.
She glanced around, trying to figure out her surroundings. It was the break of dawn, the red and orange sun slowly burning the night away along the horizon bringing the promise of light and hope. Lauren noticed that she was lying on the edges of a forest that she didn't recognize, for the trees looked to old and ancient to belong near her town, and full of some kind of sadness. How she knew this she herself did not know. The green grass that she was laying on was wet with the morning dew, and she was upset to find the back of her clothes wet and covered in stray blades of grass.
"Where am I?" she asked no-one in particular as she slowly lifted herself up from the ground. She noticed that she was alone, and this filled her with a fear. "Obviously," she began telling herself as she brushed the wet blades of grass from her clothes, "I fell off Crystal whilst we were riding through the forest, and banged my head on the ground resulting in unconsciousness. Great, just bloody great!"
A hand on her shoulder suddenly disturbed her reckoning. Lauren whirled round to face the owner quickly, ready to attack the stranger. This was a bad idea as she slipped on the dewy grass, having to steady herself
"I would not be so aggressive, for I am much more powerful than you are." The speaker was a very old man dressed from head to toe in old grey garments, yet the appearance was deceiving for the voice was hard and strong.
"Excuse me? Who are you and why have you disturbed me!" Lauren was furious, here was this total stranger intimidating her, and she had no idea who he was, yet he expected her to not be cautious! A flame flickered in her dark eyes, lighting them up in their fury. She glared at the old man, thinking she could take him on any day.
And then it slammed into her like a brick against a wall. She remembered what had happened to her the previous night, it suddenly all made sense. Well, most of it. The tall stick in his aged and worn hands, and the badgered hat that stood proudly on his head.
"You're the old man from last night!" Lauren screamed as she backed away from him. What had he done, where had he bought her to? Questions were beginning to form in her head as she tried to figure out how to get away from him.
He smiled, a kind old grandfather smile that made his eyes light up and glow, not like Lauren's fire when she got angry, but more like the twinkling of the almighty stars up above in the heavens. She couldn't help but relax a little, the face looked strangely familiar to her. Too much TV she mused.
"If you are referring to the old man that found you last night in the forest, then yes, that is me." He replied in a gentle tone, his smile fading just a little. This was just unacceptable.
"Where are we? Why did you find me? Where is the horse gone? How did you know my name?" Lauren could now clearly remember the chain of events that she was a part in, and she needed answers now.
"There will be plenty of time for answers later. Right now I must take you home." He began to walk away from the edge of the forest, and Lauren thought that she had seized her chance to escape. The sun was turning the sky around it a brilliant fresh blue, but it was not the blue that Lauren was used to in the mornings. It was brighter and cheerful, but most definitely different. It lit up the luscious green fields and made them feel magical. However she then gazed into the ancient forest and felt uneasy. It was dark inside and gloomy, the ancient trees towering over each other, each stronger and more fearful the further inside you got. The sun didn't light the leaves up; it was almost as if the sun didn't want to shine in the forest. She would have sworn that it was evil if she hadn't been busy wondering whether to run for it or not. The fields looked awfully inviting, and she wished hungrily that she was a bird so that she could swim in the gorgeous clear blue sky.
Curiosity and the want for the answers for her questions got the better of her, so she quickly raced after the old man who to her surprise was already far out into the field walking briskly.
Lauren was panting when she finally caught up with the man. She stepped into pace beside him and asked "What is your name again? I seem to have forgotten it, or else I do not know it?" She was genuinely curious, yet she had also hoped that if she won him round he would take her home. After all, he did seem to know where he was going.
He smiled again, and stopped staring into her large eyes. "I have been given many names throughout my time, yet I am usually called Gandalf."
Gandalf! What kind of name was that? "If you don't mind me saying ,sir, that is a highly unusual name for someone to have in this era."
He laughed at her reply. "Well if you don't mind me saying, I find 'Lauren' a very strange name as well!" He then started walking again, his walking stick striding in front of him.
"Lauren is a strange name! Well if you find my name strange then what names do you think are usual?" Lauren was getting impatient; she was desperate to get to a place where she would know where the hell on earth she was.
"Well, a more appropriate name to me would seem to be Tarwenmir," he said giving her a small glance out of the corner of his eye. He chuckled to himself as her eyes widened in horror.
"Tarwenmir? Who on earth would be called that!"
"You."
Me. She didn't reply to that one, for he had now completely baffled her. She was not called Tarwenmir, she was called Lauren. She quite liked her name, there was nothing wrong with it. This man is obviously nuts she told herself as the reached the end of the field. An old dirt track marked with wheels and dust lay at the end, leading round a group of mountains that she could now see in the distance.
She stood staring at it as Gandalf made his way down onto it and began heading for the mountains. An old dirt track on the outskirts of London? Mountains in the distance? A strange and rather old forest that frightened even the sun? She knew for a fact that she was not anywhere near London anymore, and she had a strange feeling that she wasn't in England either.
"GANDALF!" she screamed, a fire burning brightly in her dark eyes. She stormed off after him along the track, her brown hair flying out behind her and her fists ready to strike. She had been foolish and stupid. She had been brought to a place by this strange man, and was being lead to gods no where by him, yet he had told her nothing.
Gandalf had expected this from the girl though he was surprised how long it had taken her to figure out that she was no longer near her home. He closed his eyes ready for the fury that he could feel emanating from the girl, her loud stomps breaking the almost eerie silence of the wilderness.
He turned around slowly opening his eyes to find that she was standing behind him, hands on hips and a fire raging through her eyes. He had expected it of course.
"Where. Exactly. Are. We?" The voice was calm yet he could tell that she was trying to hold her anger inside, for the time being at least. The sun was rising quickly into the clear sky, Gandalf knew he had but a few hours to get the girl to Rivendell and in the safety of Lord Elrond.
"We are in the fields of Bruinen, of which the same river flows through, in Middle Earth." Gandalf let the words out slowly, awaiting the response that he would get from her. She gasped, yet he could tell in her eyes that she did not believe him.
"Are you having me on? Do you think that this is funny? Where are we really?" Lauren was shocked at this reply, she had expected something like France for she had never been there before. Not a fictional place from a book. He must of thought that she was an idiot if she believed the lies he was telling her.
"I told you. We are in the fields of Bruinen, in Middle Earth."
"You are such a liar!" She gnarled back at him, angrily. One more stupid reply and she was sure that she would punch his old grey face in. "Middle Earth, in case you are stupid enough not to know, is a world from a very popular work of literature. It is fictional, therefore NOT a real place. Based on this fact, there is no way that we are in said place!"
"I'm afraid to tell you that you are very wrong." His words were spoken calmly and quietly, but Lauren heard them well enough. She stayed silent but angry for a while, trying to figure out how to tell the stupid nut that she was very much right. They stood facing each other for a long time, Lauren glaring and Gandalf smiling his sympathetic smile. A wind had picked up and was quietly whistling around them, watching eagerly like an observer. A bird soared in the sky above, squawking occasionally. This distracted Lauren, who was already having a hard enough time trying to cope with the situation that she was in. Her breathing was loud and came in ragged gasps, her face set into an emotionless stone; her eyes though still burned fiercely.
"Urgh," she growled as she stamped off past him, shoving into him rather harshly. She would find her own way to somewhere, anywhere without his help. The air around her was becoming rather stuffy, and she felt a slight twinge of fear as she breathed in and out.
"Tarwenmir," he called loudly after her, still in the same position that he was in before. He heard the footsteps in her direction falter and stop. Lauren whirled round, in a really really bad mood.
"I hate to ruin your day and all, but that is not my name and we are not in Middle Earth!" she screamed back, but the last words were barely a whisper, she was finding it even harder to breathe. Lauren gasped when her vision darkened as if the sun had disappeared.
"Get off the road!" Gandalf screamed as he quickly ran over to the girl and pulled her into the hedges that surrounded the open path. Lauren couldn't object or fight back. She was scared; the air she breathed in was fearful and terrifying and each breath was harder than the last.
"Keep silent, and do not move." Gandalf left her hidden in the hedges, and went up onto the track. Lauren was shaking with nerves but she had no idea why she was so scared. She jumped when she heard the sound of hooves, harsh and cold against the ground. The hedge was dark and silent, but she knew that she was safe. Soon, her breathing eased, and the sun seemed to shine down again. She found that she was no longer scared but anxious to know what had just happened.
"Gandalf?" she called out as she made her way out of the hedge. He was standing in the middle of the track, walking stick held high in his right hand. "What was that?"
"It was a nazgul I'm afraid." Gandalf turned to her and was shocked by the fear that she saw in his eyes. "I am afraid I had no idea that they had arisen again so soon, for I would have been more careful."
"But nazgul, they're ringwraiths from the same work that Middle Earth is in. They search for the-"
"Hush! Do not speak of it in such circumstances. You know a lot more of what is going on before it has happened my dear. I know that this will make little sense to you now, but I promise that all of your questions I will try and answer in due time unless I have reason not too. For now we must get to safety, and I beg you Tarwenmir that you follow my lead and do not argue." His voice was grave and hoarse, quiet and firm all at once.
"Why do you insist on that name for me?"
"Because it was what you were once called, my dear, a long time though has it been since it was uttered in this land. You do not belong on earth, you belong here and now you are needed more than ever."
"But I've told you! Middle Earth does not exist! You are obviously a crazed lunatic fan. You need help!"
"Then you explain to me where we are. Middle Earth does exist, it is real. You are standing on it's very ground. In your world, Middle Earth is a fantasy, but I can assure you it exists. As does the person who wrote the great fiction that you keep on reminding me about."
"So you're telling me that Middle Earth is real, and the author of the literature that exists in my world took the idea from this place. So he didn't make it up?" Lauren couldn't believe the words that she was coming out with. She ran her hands through her hair, deciding whether she could believe it or not.
"What you're asking me to believe is ridiculous."
"I know, but you have to understand, something has happened that was not expected. Your past is but one cause, and is the reason that your help is required. He did not expect this turn of events to happen, yet they did. The very future of middle earth is threatened, but not just of what you think." He took one of her hands in his, and pleaded with his eyes for her to believe him.
There was a long pause. Lauren had no idea what he was going on about, yet she knew that he was telling her the truth. "Where is it that we must go?"
"To Rivendell, my dear, to the house of Elrond. It is there that all of your questions may be answered." There was a long silence.
"I will agree to go with you Master Gandalf, but you'll have to tell me something first."
"What may that be?" He asked her, curious.
"You said that I was once Tarwenmir, and for that I must assume that you mean something happened to me in this world of which I was born. A feeling in my heart tells me that you are familiar to me, so I guess I knew you once, am I correct?"
Gandalf paused. Maybe she will remember some of her past after all, he thought, as I am familiar to her. "Yes, you knew me once Tarwenmir, though it was a long long time ago."
"But how can it be a long time ago, I'm not even 16!"
"I've told you enough for now, and time is running short on our part. But trust me, your questions will be answered in due time, you'll just have to be patient for the meanwhile." Gandalf turned to the open fields around them, sparkling in their glory. He brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled a short high-pitched note.
Far away Lauren, or Tarwenmir as she is said to once have been, heard the galloping of hooves heading in their direction carried on the light breeze that ruffled the grass and swam through her hair. Her heart suddenly lurched, fearing another nazgul but she need not have feared.
Two horses, one white and one chestnut, came galloping together through the fields as swift as the wind. Lauren was overjoyed to discover that the chestnut was Crystal Dragon. He seemed more elegant though as he ran alongside the beautiful white steed. The sun glistened on their shiny coats, the breeze whipping their manes and tails.
"But how?" Lauren asked as she hugged her friend who was glad to see his rider safe and well.
Gandalf smiled as he patted the beautiful white steed that came to greet him. "I brought him with you, as he did not belong in your world either. I sent him off with Shadowfax here, to use as a last resort to convince you that this place is real. It seems however I did not need to use it." Gandalf mounted Shadowfax easily, and beckoned with Lauren to do the same.
"But there is no saddle or bridle!" Lauren exclaimed. How was she meant to ride without them?
"Crystal does not need either, and neither do you. He will bare you well, his trust for you runs deep through his veins like the fire that burns in your eyes. Trust him, he will let no harm come to you."
Lauren smiled and took his words as a compliment. She mounted the steed, and was surprised how free it felt to sit on the horses back without saddle or bridle interfering. In fact it felt like second nature to her.
"To Rivendell!" Gandalf cried, and the two horses took off at great speed along the track. They were as swift as the sea, and as silent as the night. Lauren once again felt at peace on the back of Crystal, and forgot about all her worries as they galloped off in the direction of the mountains. She knew little of the surprises that were in store for her when she reached the destination, or how vital the role that she was to play truly was.
End of Chapter One
Okay, I posted this once before and I must have written about 12 chapters, but I never finished it for some reason. So I decided I needed a fresh start so that I could rid myself of writers block and get back on track, so I changed my pen name and I have edited this story and reposted it. Hopefully now I can now finish it as well.
I would just like to say a really big thank-you to those that reviewed my story before, I love you loads and would like to say a major thank you!
Also to: Mellon, I will update soon I promise.
Bant: cheers!
Keep those reviews coming guys, they give a writer even more inspiration! Ciao!
Disclaimer: I do own the characters and ideas that you don't recognize, but sadly for me I don't own any of Tolkien's work, and for that matter I don't own Legolas. *Sighs sadly*
Rating: Pg13
Chapter 1 - A Life of turmoil
The golden sun hung low on a cool, crisp; winter's evening, proud in an orange sky without cloud. The streets were noisy bustling with cars and traffic, everyone trying to get home to a nice, quiet evening with their families. Lauren was walking slowly home, not in any particular hurry. She instead enjoyed the breeze that swept through her hair and whipped across her face, always giving her a sense of freshness that you couldn't feel at any other time of day.
It had been a normal day, like any other that she had lived. It was a Friday, meaning that tomorrow was Saturday and therefore no school. Lauren thanked the heavens, she couldn't stand school. School is a place where everyone is judged on their popularity, looks and social status, not on their personality. You are in a constant battle to be 'the most powerful', i.e. always having, and similarly being invited to, the coolest parties, getting any guy or girl that you set your eyes on, fighting anyone you consider 'lower' than yourself, and the small matter of sitting on the right table at lunch. Oh, there were the lessons, yet nobody gave them a second thought.
Lauren was constantly fighting in the battle, for you had no choice, but she didn't care if she won or lost. She had a group of close friends who she hung around with, and got occasional party invites, but she didn't bother going. She didn't see the point in getting drunk out of her head, and making an idiotic guys fantasy come true to have a hangover and forget the stupid things you did the next morning. However the same didn't go for the majority of students that fought at Farrowdown High.
However Lauren didn't belong to the majority populace of the students at Farrowdown. She was an extremely hard person to get along with. Her fiery temper and quick wit often got her into trouble, and her patience was as short lived as the memory of a goldfish. She hated social gatherings purely for the fact that they were terribly boring. She wasn't the girls who spent hours worrying about appearance then having a fit every time she broke a nail. She was the one who would seek adventure.
And she was also one who could hide her emotions with the best of them. She would laugh and smile, but nearly all were false. She hated emotions that she allowed to show out of her grasp, especially tears of sadness. She didn't cry in public, even amongst a friend. But sometimes in her solitude single tears would be shed.
The sun had nearly fallen into night when Lauren finally turned into her street in the suburbs of London. She lived in a reasonably large town that was less than 10 minutes from the capital city. Lauren preferred the countryside for it's freedom, but she was grateful that her home was on the outskirts of town, near to a small forest that she often wandered aimlessly in.
The sun had been replaced with a moon when she got to the front door and turned the key in the lock. She quietly let herself in, not surprised to see that her home was covered in a darkness. Her parents worked late every night, they owned a business together. Therefore they were always working. Lauren didn't really mind, she loved to be alone with herself. She walked down into the wooden kitchen, and was immediately knocked down to the hard floor.
"Owww, Pepper.stop licking me.get up you mutt!" Lauren laughed as the golden Labrador bounced in circles around her master. Lauren let her out into the garden. Pepper was like her best friend; she had always been good with animals and had a way with them. Sometimes she could swear that they understood her, though her parents and friends said she was crazy.
Crazy she thought; the word swimming in her head as she looked through the pantry for some jam. That's what everyone thinks I am. Lauren, the one who doesn't go to parties. The one who confides in animals. Lauren, the one that loves to be alone. That is why she had no patience for a lot of people, the ones that always judged her on what she does and not on who she is.
"Who am I?" she asked herself as she placed two slices of toast in the toaster. She suddenly realized that she hadn't turned the kitchen light on and had left the back door wide open. Pepper was sat on staring up at her master, watching her curiously. Lauren quickly shut the back door as the air outside was cold and miserable. She left the kitchen light off though, the darkness just felt right to Lauren.
She quickly made herself her snack, slightly toasted bread with raspberry jam (yummy!!), and went up to her room. Her room was rather large, but crowded with all her belongings that she couldn't bare to throw away. It was painted purple and blue, and cluttered with candles and books. Lauren was a very passionate reader; she spent a lot of time sitting in a tree engrossed in a good novel. She loved the sense of adventure in The Lord of the Rings, the magic in Harry Potter, and the mysteries in Sherlock Holmes. She would read anything and everything, yet to her peers this was a pathetic waste of time, and frankly they thought reading was boring. Unless of course it was the latest fashion and gossip magazines that portrayed super skinny girls and the new seasons' clothes.
Lauren went over to the mirror on her vanity table that overlooked the garden. She sat down directly in front of it, and gazed at her reflection. Her skin was a creamy colour, speckled with a few freckles across her cheeks. Her lips were like the colour of her skin, but perhaps a little more peachy. Her eyes however were a contrast to her creamy face and lips, for they were large and very dark - black almost. Her mother said that sometimes when she was angry, Laurens eyes would blaze in fury and it was as if a small flame was alight in them. Lauren loved the idea that she had an inner fire that burned out of control when she got mad, which happened very often.
The weirdest thing about her face was the shape of her ears. At a glance, they were normal and not given a second thought. However Lauren noticed that up close it was almost if they were different. She didn't know why but she just had the feeling. The same feeling you get when you know that what you're doing is wrong yet feels right. Everyone said that Lauren's best feature was her hair- for it was raven in colour and flowed as straight as a pin down her back. Lauren didn't think that she was pretty in the slightest, although she knew that she wasn't horribly disfigured either. But then beauty never mattered to Lauren as she hated the way in which girls made themselves up with layers of make up, hiding who they really were beneath a fake mask.
Lauren was suddenly disrupted from her thoughts when she heard the front door slam shut downstairs. She suddenly realised that time had slipped past her again, and glanced quickly to see what the time was. It was getting close to 7:30! Lauren couldn't believe that she had wasted over an hour in her thoughts. She quickly changed from her school uniform into a pair of jeans and a sweater, and went down the stairs to greet her parents.
"Did you have a good day, sweetie?" they cried as she walked into the kitchen. Lauren cringed, she hated the way they treated her like a baby, god she was nearly 16. Her mother was busy starting to prepare a meal, a rather large meal Lauren noticed in dismay.
"Mum, isn't that a rather a lot of food for us all to eat?" she asked pointedly as she sat at the table, dreading the answer. Her mother was chopping up a variety of exotic vegetables, and a rather large ham was simmering in the oven.
"Oh didn't we tell you love," her father began as he sat opposite her, "We're having a small dinner party for some new clients. Hopefully they'll be interesting in purchasing-" Her father trailed on into a long discussion, but Lauren tuned out. Her parents weren't half boring sometimes, especially when they were rambling on about business. She began to chew her nails, wondering how the hell she would get out of this one, when her father slapped her on the head with a newspaper.
"Owww, why did you do that dad?" she asked as she rubbed the sore spot on her head, like it had actually hurt her.
"Because you weren't paying attention. I was just asking you whether you were going out tonight like a normal 15 year old, or whether you were planning on staying in with us."
"I heard from Kelly's mum that there was going to be a rather large party at Tracy's. Are you going?" Lauren gagged. Kelly and Tracey were her absolute enemies. Stupid bimbo's who chased boys around endlessly, flaunting their hair and battering their eyelashes to get the attention of any male.
Her mother had stopped chopping up vegetables, and was now eyeing her daughter.
"What?" Lauren asked, slightly annoyed that they were staring at her.
"Well, are you going?"
"No! I hate parties; you know that more than anyone does."
Yet another deafening silence enclosed the room. But no words were needed to paint the picture; the images on Lauren's parents' faces spoke a story of their own. Lauren couldn't stand their pitying looks; they gnawed slowly away at her. Rather than stay and fight like a teenager should, Lauren just ran from the room, as quickly as a trapped dear ran for freedom.
She ran to the trees by the fence, and climbed it with practiced ease. She sat up in the tallest branches for a while, the wind whistling around her, lashing out across her face. She shivered, forgetting earlier how cold the evening had become. She hugged her knees to her chest, as far as they would let her go trying to keep herself warm. She wouldn't let in yet, she would stay out here all night if need be to prove a point. She glanced at the kitchen window, and saw her parents continuing to prepare for their 'dinner party'. They didn't bother coming outside to talk to her, but for this she was glad.
They didn't really understand her, no-one did. No-one could possibly know all of her secrets and why she felt so tormented, no-one bothered to listen. Of course Lauren didn't hate parties, she'd give nearly anything to go to one and just have a good time like any other girl her age. But she told herself long ago that she wouldn't go and be like them, not after the way she had been treated.
Memories were a strange thing, wonderful they could be but they could sometimes be the strongest person's ultimate weakness in a time of crisis. How they come back, and haunt you so that you never forget. Lauren could never forget the day of her tenth birthday, a day that changed her life. Her parents had taken her ice skating with her friends as a treat. Lauren had always been a fan of brightly coloured clothes, and that day she wore her favourite rainbow top and orange jeans, and put glitter in her hair so that it sparkled when the light shone on it right. She actually thought that she looked quite pretty.
But then she had been teased. Whilst her parents had left to go and get a drink and her friends were on the other side of the rink, Kelly and Tracey had caught up with Lauren and 'accidentally' tripped her up. To make matters even worse, they said that she looked absolutely hideous and so ugly that her parents were ashamed that she was their daughter. Lauren had been too afraid after that to wear her bright clothes again, the memory still taunted her.
Lauren sighed as she tilted her head back, up among the branches above she made out a few stars, though a very threatening storm cloud had brewed and was enveloping them. Probably from my mood she chuckled to herself as wondered what she could do. She had a deep urge to go riding out over the fields, although it was late and her parents would be disappointed that she had gone wandering. But they had their 'dinner party' to occupy their time; she would have 2 hours at least before they'd start to look for her.
"Ah, what the heck!" Lauren carefully looked out over the fence onto the road on the other side to check that no-one was watching. I mean, wouldn't you wonder why someone was jumping over a large garden fence at night? She was glad to see that the coast was clear. She sidled over the strongest branch to the edge, then making sure that she had a good grip with her hands, she let her feet fall behind down towards the ground before she let go. She hit the ground in a toppled mess however, as she wasn't a very graceful faller.
The journey to the stables where she rode often would only take ten minutes on foot, but she didn't like the idea of being alone along the road. Only a few cars passed her by, but she didn't like the way that the headlights caught onto her like a spotlight. So she hurried along, across the field as a short cut. This proved to be a very bad choice, as she couldn't see where she was walking. Lauren found herself tripping over small rocks and her feet falling into small holes in the ground.
After ten minutes she finally reached the yard where she helped out and rode. It was a friendly place, always busy with life during the day. Lauren was surprised to find that it was empty, aside from the horses off course and the cats that roamed freely. However she welcomed the solitude. She suddenly shivered as the wind blew even harder, whipping her hair across her face. She ran inside the large barn, and engulfed the smell of the horses that she loved so dearly. She wished that people were like horses for horses were easier to get along with. They didn't care what you looked like or how you acted. Just as long as you trusted them and they trusted you.
Lauren knew the owners of the stables very well, and she actually got along with them. They didn't mind if she would take one of their horses for a ride, they knew that she could handle them. Lauren ran around past the horses down the middle until she reached Crystal Dragon's stable.
Crystal was Laurens favourite horse. He was arrogant, and didn't trust many riders. Yet Lauren had a way with him, and they shared a very special bond. He was a great chestnut steed and was at least 16hh, which was good for Lauren as she was rather tall. He neighed and snorted when he saw her approach, bucking in his stable eager to get outside.
"Hello you beauty," she cooed as he calmed down enough to let her stoke his nose. "How about we go on a little ride?" He snorted in his turn, making the girl laugh. "I'll take that as a yes then!"
Lauren quickly tacked him up as fast as her nimble fingers would let her. She borrowed a coat from the tack room remembering how cold it was and the threatening cloud that grew outside. She didn't bother with a hat or gloves though, but she did braid her long hair quickly.
She led him out near the gate, yet didn't open it. Crystal will jump it easily she thought as she mounted the horse. He reared as soon as she was seated, and made straight for the gate. Lauren barely had time to prepare herself for the jump yet cast every worry away as he lifted himself from the ground over the gate. He landed swiftly, his black mane billowing in the wind.
Crystal galloped off over to the forest that lay over the other side of the field. Lauren glanced over at the outskirts of the town, seeing the lights and imagining the dreadful noise from the loud music of the party that she was 'missing out' on. She definitely wasn't missing anything, for she was riding fast over the grass, as swift as the river flows. She focused on the soft sounds of Crystal's hooves as they gently pounded on the ground below, steady like the murmur of a heartbeat. If Lauren could have heard it, then she would have realised that her heart was beating in time with his hooves.
A small drizzle had started when Lauren finally reached the edge of the forest. The blaze in eyes her was extinguished yet she bore a true smile on her face. She dismounted off from the horses back, and silently led him into the shelter of the trees. Her face was dripping with water and she was cold, but she was finally happy. She tied Crystal to a large tree, and climbed up one opposite. It was black in the stillness of the night, apart from the small occasional rustles of wind caressing the leaves.
All was silent for a while, and Lauren pondered thoughts in her memory. She dreaded going back home, but knew that she must eventually. Suddenly the air around her got colder, and she could hear Crystal snorting below. "What's wrong?" she asked as she slid down the tree. Rain was falling harder now, and the wind was attacking the trees with a fearful force. The sounds made it unpleasant and Lauren has a feeling that she wasn't safe.
A noise behind her startled her, the snapping of a twig. Lauren whirled around, cautious eyes roaming for the source of a noise. "Who's there?" she asked nervously. No reply. She patted Crystal on the neck, trying to calm him down yet there was fear in his dark eyes.
Another twig snapped to the left of her, making her jump. The horse bucked knocking Lauren to the ground. "What do you want?" she screamed in fear for all to hear. "I'm warning you show yourself!"
A strong hand picked her up off the floor. Lauren screamed. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY!" She backed up against a strong tree but bumped into it, causing her to whirl round in shock. She was terrified that something was going to happen to her.
"Now just calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." The voice was gentle, yet firm. It seemed to Lauren that it was the voice of an old man.
"Who. who. are you?" she managed to blurt out through chattering teeth. She could see a tall figure in the darkness; he appeared to be carrying some sort of tall stick and had a hat on his head.
"I am a traveller from a faraway distant land then I doubt you will know very much of, yet you've most probably heard of. I've been searching for you for several days, and it is most fortunate that I come across you at this time. Though it is highly unusual to find you in this forest."
Lauren didn't know what was happening. This man had been searching for her. Why? She was nothing special, just an average girl near enough. She shook her head; her vision was beginning to cloud over.
"Searching for me?" she managed to whisper. "Why?"
"Because you don't belong here. Lauren."
Lauren gasped. How did he know her name? This was too much. Her head was spinning and she couldn't stand much longer. As she slid down to the ground, the old man caught her in his arms. She could here Crystal stomping and neighing in the distance, though it seemed far away like the wind and rain.
"Who . are . you?" It was barely a whisper, yet he heard her well enough. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms.
"I am Gandalf the Grey, and I've come to take you home." There was a great flash of white light, Lauren could feel it. Home? But she had one. She began to fall, fall down and down. It seemed like ages to her. She could feel his arms holding her tightly, yet thought no more as the darkness enveloped her and she hit the ground with a thud.
"Welcome to Middle Earth, little angel." She could remember no more.
*flashback*
"Mummy, I don't want to go.why are you doing this? Why must I go away.Mummy? What's happening?"
"Hush, Tarwenmir, hush! Everything will be alright, you mustn't panic. Hurry along now.we must go to Mithrandir!"
"But why mummy? Daddy will be home soon.look, there he is now! DADDY!"
"Tarwenmir NO! Run child, RUN!!!"
"But.but."
"GO NOW! I'll deal with daddy-go out the back!"
"Mummy.where are you? Mummy? Daddy? Oh no HELP ME!"
*end flashback*
"NO!" Lauren screamed in terror as she opened her eyes and sat up. "It was just a dream.thank the heavens!" She was gasping for air, the memories of the screams of terror in the night chilling her down to the bone. She took in deep breaths, trying to calm her shivering body down. It wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare.
Lauren looked around, suddenly realising that she didn't have a clue where she was. She tried to recall what had happened last night, but she found it difficult. Her head and her back were aching from a new wound, but she had no idea how she had got them.
She glanced around, trying to figure out her surroundings. It was the break of dawn, the red and orange sun slowly burning the night away along the horizon bringing the promise of light and hope. Lauren noticed that she was lying on the edges of a forest that she didn't recognize, for the trees looked to old and ancient to belong near her town, and full of some kind of sadness. How she knew this she herself did not know. The green grass that she was laying on was wet with the morning dew, and she was upset to find the back of her clothes wet and covered in stray blades of grass.
"Where am I?" she asked no-one in particular as she slowly lifted herself up from the ground. She noticed that she was alone, and this filled her with a fear. "Obviously," she began telling herself as she brushed the wet blades of grass from her clothes, "I fell off Crystal whilst we were riding through the forest, and banged my head on the ground resulting in unconsciousness. Great, just bloody great!"
A hand on her shoulder suddenly disturbed her reckoning. Lauren whirled round to face the owner quickly, ready to attack the stranger. This was a bad idea as she slipped on the dewy grass, having to steady herself
"I would not be so aggressive, for I am much more powerful than you are." The speaker was a very old man dressed from head to toe in old grey garments, yet the appearance was deceiving for the voice was hard and strong.
"Excuse me? Who are you and why have you disturbed me!" Lauren was furious, here was this total stranger intimidating her, and she had no idea who he was, yet he expected her to not be cautious! A flame flickered in her dark eyes, lighting them up in their fury. She glared at the old man, thinking she could take him on any day.
And then it slammed into her like a brick against a wall. She remembered what had happened to her the previous night, it suddenly all made sense. Well, most of it. The tall stick in his aged and worn hands, and the badgered hat that stood proudly on his head.
"You're the old man from last night!" Lauren screamed as she backed away from him. What had he done, where had he bought her to? Questions were beginning to form in her head as she tried to figure out how to get away from him.
He smiled, a kind old grandfather smile that made his eyes light up and glow, not like Lauren's fire when she got angry, but more like the twinkling of the almighty stars up above in the heavens. She couldn't help but relax a little, the face looked strangely familiar to her. Too much TV she mused.
"If you are referring to the old man that found you last night in the forest, then yes, that is me." He replied in a gentle tone, his smile fading just a little. This was just unacceptable.
"Where are we? Why did you find me? Where is the horse gone? How did you know my name?" Lauren could now clearly remember the chain of events that she was a part in, and she needed answers now.
"There will be plenty of time for answers later. Right now I must take you home." He began to walk away from the edge of the forest, and Lauren thought that she had seized her chance to escape. The sun was turning the sky around it a brilliant fresh blue, but it was not the blue that Lauren was used to in the mornings. It was brighter and cheerful, but most definitely different. It lit up the luscious green fields and made them feel magical. However she then gazed into the ancient forest and felt uneasy. It was dark inside and gloomy, the ancient trees towering over each other, each stronger and more fearful the further inside you got. The sun didn't light the leaves up; it was almost as if the sun didn't want to shine in the forest. She would have sworn that it was evil if she hadn't been busy wondering whether to run for it or not. The fields looked awfully inviting, and she wished hungrily that she was a bird so that she could swim in the gorgeous clear blue sky.
Curiosity and the want for the answers for her questions got the better of her, so she quickly raced after the old man who to her surprise was already far out into the field walking briskly.
Lauren was panting when she finally caught up with the man. She stepped into pace beside him and asked "What is your name again? I seem to have forgotten it, or else I do not know it?" She was genuinely curious, yet she had also hoped that if she won him round he would take her home. After all, he did seem to know where he was going.
He smiled again, and stopped staring into her large eyes. "I have been given many names throughout my time, yet I am usually called Gandalf."
Gandalf! What kind of name was that? "If you don't mind me saying ,sir, that is a highly unusual name for someone to have in this era."
He laughed at her reply. "Well if you don't mind me saying, I find 'Lauren' a very strange name as well!" He then started walking again, his walking stick striding in front of him.
"Lauren is a strange name! Well if you find my name strange then what names do you think are usual?" Lauren was getting impatient; she was desperate to get to a place where she would know where the hell on earth she was.
"Well, a more appropriate name to me would seem to be Tarwenmir," he said giving her a small glance out of the corner of his eye. He chuckled to himself as her eyes widened in horror.
"Tarwenmir? Who on earth would be called that!"
"You."
Me. She didn't reply to that one, for he had now completely baffled her. She was not called Tarwenmir, she was called Lauren. She quite liked her name, there was nothing wrong with it. This man is obviously nuts she told herself as the reached the end of the field. An old dirt track marked with wheels and dust lay at the end, leading round a group of mountains that she could now see in the distance.
She stood staring at it as Gandalf made his way down onto it and began heading for the mountains. An old dirt track on the outskirts of London? Mountains in the distance? A strange and rather old forest that frightened even the sun? She knew for a fact that she was not anywhere near London anymore, and she had a strange feeling that she wasn't in England either.
"GANDALF!" she screamed, a fire burning brightly in her dark eyes. She stormed off after him along the track, her brown hair flying out behind her and her fists ready to strike. She had been foolish and stupid. She had been brought to a place by this strange man, and was being lead to gods no where by him, yet he had told her nothing.
Gandalf had expected this from the girl though he was surprised how long it had taken her to figure out that she was no longer near her home. He closed his eyes ready for the fury that he could feel emanating from the girl, her loud stomps breaking the almost eerie silence of the wilderness.
He turned around slowly opening his eyes to find that she was standing behind him, hands on hips and a fire raging through her eyes. He had expected it of course.
"Where. Exactly. Are. We?" The voice was calm yet he could tell that she was trying to hold her anger inside, for the time being at least. The sun was rising quickly into the clear sky, Gandalf knew he had but a few hours to get the girl to Rivendell and in the safety of Lord Elrond.
"We are in the fields of Bruinen, of which the same river flows through, in Middle Earth." Gandalf let the words out slowly, awaiting the response that he would get from her. She gasped, yet he could tell in her eyes that she did not believe him.
"Are you having me on? Do you think that this is funny? Where are we really?" Lauren was shocked at this reply, she had expected something like France for she had never been there before. Not a fictional place from a book. He must of thought that she was an idiot if she believed the lies he was telling her.
"I told you. We are in the fields of Bruinen, in Middle Earth."
"You are such a liar!" She gnarled back at him, angrily. One more stupid reply and she was sure that she would punch his old grey face in. "Middle Earth, in case you are stupid enough not to know, is a world from a very popular work of literature. It is fictional, therefore NOT a real place. Based on this fact, there is no way that we are in said place!"
"I'm afraid to tell you that you are very wrong." His words were spoken calmly and quietly, but Lauren heard them well enough. She stayed silent but angry for a while, trying to figure out how to tell the stupid nut that she was very much right. They stood facing each other for a long time, Lauren glaring and Gandalf smiling his sympathetic smile. A wind had picked up and was quietly whistling around them, watching eagerly like an observer. A bird soared in the sky above, squawking occasionally. This distracted Lauren, who was already having a hard enough time trying to cope with the situation that she was in. Her breathing was loud and came in ragged gasps, her face set into an emotionless stone; her eyes though still burned fiercely.
"Urgh," she growled as she stamped off past him, shoving into him rather harshly. She would find her own way to somewhere, anywhere without his help. The air around her was becoming rather stuffy, and she felt a slight twinge of fear as she breathed in and out.
"Tarwenmir," he called loudly after her, still in the same position that he was in before. He heard the footsteps in her direction falter and stop. Lauren whirled round, in a really really bad mood.
"I hate to ruin your day and all, but that is not my name and we are not in Middle Earth!" she screamed back, but the last words were barely a whisper, she was finding it even harder to breathe. Lauren gasped when her vision darkened as if the sun had disappeared.
"Get off the road!" Gandalf screamed as he quickly ran over to the girl and pulled her into the hedges that surrounded the open path. Lauren couldn't object or fight back. She was scared; the air she breathed in was fearful and terrifying and each breath was harder than the last.
"Keep silent, and do not move." Gandalf left her hidden in the hedges, and went up onto the track. Lauren was shaking with nerves but she had no idea why she was so scared. She jumped when she heard the sound of hooves, harsh and cold against the ground. The hedge was dark and silent, but she knew that she was safe. Soon, her breathing eased, and the sun seemed to shine down again. She found that she was no longer scared but anxious to know what had just happened.
"Gandalf?" she called out as she made her way out of the hedge. He was standing in the middle of the track, walking stick held high in his right hand. "What was that?"
"It was a nazgul I'm afraid." Gandalf turned to her and was shocked by the fear that she saw in his eyes. "I am afraid I had no idea that they had arisen again so soon, for I would have been more careful."
"But nazgul, they're ringwraiths from the same work that Middle Earth is in. They search for the-"
"Hush! Do not speak of it in such circumstances. You know a lot more of what is going on before it has happened my dear. I know that this will make little sense to you now, but I promise that all of your questions I will try and answer in due time unless I have reason not too. For now we must get to safety, and I beg you Tarwenmir that you follow my lead and do not argue." His voice was grave and hoarse, quiet and firm all at once.
"Why do you insist on that name for me?"
"Because it was what you were once called, my dear, a long time though has it been since it was uttered in this land. You do not belong on earth, you belong here and now you are needed more than ever."
"But I've told you! Middle Earth does not exist! You are obviously a crazed lunatic fan. You need help!"
"Then you explain to me where we are. Middle Earth does exist, it is real. You are standing on it's very ground. In your world, Middle Earth is a fantasy, but I can assure you it exists. As does the person who wrote the great fiction that you keep on reminding me about."
"So you're telling me that Middle Earth is real, and the author of the literature that exists in my world took the idea from this place. So he didn't make it up?" Lauren couldn't believe the words that she was coming out with. She ran her hands through her hair, deciding whether she could believe it or not.
"What you're asking me to believe is ridiculous."
"I know, but you have to understand, something has happened that was not expected. Your past is but one cause, and is the reason that your help is required. He did not expect this turn of events to happen, yet they did. The very future of middle earth is threatened, but not just of what you think." He took one of her hands in his, and pleaded with his eyes for her to believe him.
There was a long pause. Lauren had no idea what he was going on about, yet she knew that he was telling her the truth. "Where is it that we must go?"
"To Rivendell, my dear, to the house of Elrond. It is there that all of your questions may be answered." There was a long silence.
"I will agree to go with you Master Gandalf, but you'll have to tell me something first."
"What may that be?" He asked her, curious.
"You said that I was once Tarwenmir, and for that I must assume that you mean something happened to me in this world of which I was born. A feeling in my heart tells me that you are familiar to me, so I guess I knew you once, am I correct?"
Gandalf paused. Maybe she will remember some of her past after all, he thought, as I am familiar to her. "Yes, you knew me once Tarwenmir, though it was a long long time ago."
"But how can it be a long time ago, I'm not even 16!"
"I've told you enough for now, and time is running short on our part. But trust me, your questions will be answered in due time, you'll just have to be patient for the meanwhile." Gandalf turned to the open fields around them, sparkling in their glory. He brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled a short high-pitched note.
Far away Lauren, or Tarwenmir as she is said to once have been, heard the galloping of hooves heading in their direction carried on the light breeze that ruffled the grass and swam through her hair. Her heart suddenly lurched, fearing another nazgul but she need not have feared.
Two horses, one white and one chestnut, came galloping together through the fields as swift as the wind. Lauren was overjoyed to discover that the chestnut was Crystal Dragon. He seemed more elegant though as he ran alongside the beautiful white steed. The sun glistened on their shiny coats, the breeze whipping their manes and tails.
"But how?" Lauren asked as she hugged her friend who was glad to see his rider safe and well.
Gandalf smiled as he patted the beautiful white steed that came to greet him. "I brought him with you, as he did not belong in your world either. I sent him off with Shadowfax here, to use as a last resort to convince you that this place is real. It seems however I did not need to use it." Gandalf mounted Shadowfax easily, and beckoned with Lauren to do the same.
"But there is no saddle or bridle!" Lauren exclaimed. How was she meant to ride without them?
"Crystal does not need either, and neither do you. He will bare you well, his trust for you runs deep through his veins like the fire that burns in your eyes. Trust him, he will let no harm come to you."
Lauren smiled and took his words as a compliment. She mounted the steed, and was surprised how free it felt to sit on the horses back without saddle or bridle interfering. In fact it felt like second nature to her.
"To Rivendell!" Gandalf cried, and the two horses took off at great speed along the track. They were as swift as the sea, and as silent as the night. Lauren once again felt at peace on the back of Crystal, and forgot about all her worries as they galloped off in the direction of the mountains. She knew little of the surprises that were in store for her when she reached the destination, or how vital the role that she was to play truly was.
End of Chapter One
Okay, I posted this once before and I must have written about 12 chapters, but I never finished it for some reason. So I decided I needed a fresh start so that I could rid myself of writers block and get back on track, so I changed my pen name and I have edited this story and reposted it. Hopefully now I can now finish it as well.
I would just like to say a really big thank-you to those that reviewed my story before, I love you loads and would like to say a major thank you!
Also to: Mellon, I will update soon I promise.
Bant: cheers!
Keep those reviews coming guys, they give a writer even more inspiration! Ciao!