Here's some interesting things…hope you like it!

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There and Back Again

Lyell woke with a slight headache and felt damp, cold grass beneath her. What had happened? Did she fall asleep in the backyard? But then where was the dog? He should be licking her to death.

Slowly Lyell opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings as she sat up. She lay upon a grassy hill. To her right trickled a small stream that emptied out into a little pond by a large oak tree. On her left lay a road, large and wide and well warn by the traveling of many people over its life span. It stretched out and across the land further than her eyes could follow it; beyond the horizon. From the north came a cool and light breeze that carried the fresh sent of winter.

Eight others were around her. She gazed upon the man beside her. Ryken! But he looked so much older with his scruffy beard, warn clothes and long brown hair to his shoulders. It was as if he had aged into his thirties over night.

Lyell shifted uncomfortably and reached around to her back to see what was slung there. She felt a box type-like object and pulled it off; up over her head. She looked at it with curiosity; a quiver. Golden vines and leaves intertwined with one another across its leather coat and inside lay twenty or more beautiful, hand crafted arrows. Lyell had always been good at archery in gym class but what the heck was she doing with a quiver full of arrows?

Someone stirred beside her and she jumped to her feet, dropping the quiver as a bow fell from her lap.

'Oh, where am I?' groaned one of the smaller people. She sat up and looked over in Lyell's direction with her soft green eyes as her curly chestnut hair bounced around her shoulders. 'Lyell!' she shouted. 'How'd you get so big?'

'L-Lars?' the blonde stammered.

'Who else would I be?' the miniature girl snapped.

'What happened?'

'I donno.'

Lyell looked around the hill. 'Where are we?'

'Your guess is as good as mine.' Lars lifted up her small hand and opened her fist to reveal the golden ring. 'This,' she said. 'Had words on it that looked like Tolken's Elvish, but they're gone now.'

Lyell studied her friend a moment. "What happened to you? You're so small. Sort of like a hobbit.'

Lars looked to her large, hairy feet and screamed. She then quickly looked up to her friend.

'At least I haven't changed,' replied she. ''Sept for these fairy tale clothes.'

A smile crept across Lars' lips. 'Not necessarily.'

The blonde looked to her curiously. 'What do you mean?'

Lars put her fingers to extend her ears like a rabbit.

Lyell looked at her oddly and lifted her hands to her ears. She slowly felt them upwards to a point. 'They're like an Elf's!'

Lars nodded slowly.

'I'm an Elf, you're a hobbit and Ryken is thirty!' she sighed. 'Now what?'

Lars looked around to see who else was on the hilltop with them. 'Look,' she said, pointing to two others her size. 'They are Adorn and Ken. There's Salmas too! They look just like me!' She beamed as the others came around as if in a dream. 'There's Roseran. He's small but still bigger than me, and Tom and, damn! Badall is old!' She looked around to everyone who sat in the damp grass; Badall with his staff and wizard's cap; Ryken with his sword and worn look; Tom with his shield and horn; Roseran with his battle axe and short stature; Adorn, Ken and Salmas with their hobbit appearance; then lastly to her Elven friend, Lyell. 'I understand now!' Lars shouted and looked to the ring in her hand. Quickly she shoved it into Lyell's. 'Here! Take it! I don't want it!'

Lyell looked to the golden band. 'Why not? You seemed so fond of it before.' She stopped a moment. '"Fond?" When would I use a word like "fond?"' She shrugged, dismissing it.

'Don't you all get it?' Lars shouted, getting to her feet. 'Four hobbits, and Elf, a dwarf, two older Men and a really old man with a wizard's cap. Where are we? What are we? We are stuck in a book playing the characters!'

Now it was Lyell who stood up and looked down at the little hobbit girl. 'It isn't real!' she shouted. 'It was all just a book!' She put her fair hands to her face and sobbed as the ring fell from her grasp into the emerald grass.

Ryken got up and rubbed his head. 'Man,' he said looking about. 'That explosion from the Merry and Pippin wannabes must have knocked me out 'cause, damn this is the weirdest dream.'

Lars strode up to Ryken and punched him in the leg, for that was all she could reach.

'Ouch!' he cried pulling away. 'What was that for?'

'Does one feel pain in a dream?' Lars snapped.

Badall walked over to where the sobbing Elf stood and picked up the fallen ring with his staff. 'Then this,' he said. 'Is the One Ring; the Ruling Ring.' He handed it back to Lars but she pushed his staff away.

'I told you, "I don't want it,"' she replied.

'I'm ganna die!' Tom wailed, clinging to his shield. 'I'm ganna get pumped full of arrows!'

Roseran turned to the man. 'What makes you say that?'

'Because,' he replied. 'The only other human is Ryken and he's obviously Aragorn! Boromir died by arrows!' Tears started to form and a second of the Company began to cry.

'Ah!' Badall shouted, releasing the Ring from his possession. 'It holds too much evil for me to bear long.'

Ryken went and held his sobbing Elf. 'I know it's hard to accept but-'

'A little?' Lyell interrupted as her tears ran dry. 'If we are all characters from a book as Lars says, then I am supposed to be a male Elf!' She rubbed the salty sadness from her eyes as she turned to her friend. 'Okay, let's put your theory to a test, Lars. I am the only Elf so I must be Legolas.' She turned to the worn old man with a smile. 'Badall, you must be Gandalf.'

The old wizard nodded. 'Naturally, I already knew that.'

Lyell smiled. 'You, Ryken,' she said, leaning on his shoulder as she lifter his hand to her cheek. 'Must be Aragorn, for you bear the serpent ring.'

Ryken looked to his hand and wrapped around his finger lay a ring fashioned in the form of twin serpents with emerald eyes, their heads meeting beneath golden flowers which one devoured and the other upheld.

Lyell looked around and saw the little dwarf. 'Roseran, you've got to be Gimli. You've always loved jewels, too,' she laughed. She turned to see Tom crying with his shield. With a sigh she rolled her eyes and got up. 'Snap out of it!' she demanded, smacking his across the face. 'You may be Boromir but we're not going to let you die!'

'But-but,' he stammered, not crying now and a little taken aback. 'He called for help and no one came and that orc dude shot him full of arrows.'

'You're going to be fine!' Lyell shouted. 'I won't leave you.'

Slowly Tom nodded.

'Good,' said she and looked around. 'That leaves the four hobbits. Who is who?'

Badall looked over to Lars. 'You, my dear hobbit, must be Frodo for you are the Ring-bearer.'

Slowly Lars crept to the golden band, hidden in the grass. She peered down at the tiny object.

'It is a heavy burden, Lars,' said Badall, looking to her kindly. 'But if I know you, you can handle it.'

Lyell picked up the ring from the ground, placed it in Lars' palm and curled the Bearer's fingers over it. The blonde tightly held her friends concealed fist. 'I know you can pull through, just as Frodo did.' She winked at the hobbit. 'And I promise if I see Gollum, one of these arrows shall meet him.'

Lars smiled somewhat. 'I do not know how to carry this burden but I shall. As Frodo said in the Council of Elrond, "I will go but I do not know the way."'

Tom whimpered over in his corner. 'No arrows, please.'

'Adorn and Ken must be Merry and Pippin,' said Salmas.

'All right!' shouted the cousins as they gave each other ten.

'That means…Sam,' Lyell said.

'Yeah?' answered Salmas for 'Sam' was his nickname.

'You must be Sam,' she replied.

'O' course I am,' said he. 'It's my name.'

'No, no. The hobbit Sam.'

'Oh!' Salmas smiled turning a nice shade of pink.

There was a whinny not far off and they looked to see a pony with baggage upon it's back, not too far up the hill.

'That must be good, old Bill!' exclaimed the little blonde hobbit.

Ryken nodded and grabbed hold of the animal's reigns. He smiled as he handed them to Salmas.

'What are we to do now?' asked Roseran.

'Wait!' Lars shouted. 'Suksir! Where is he?'

Ken shrugged. 'Maybe he wasn't zapped here with us?'

Lars shrugged in agreement. 'Maybe not.' She looked down at the Ring. 'I shan't like caring you around or going crazy because of you but I must do it.'

Lyell gave the little hobbit a hug. 'That's my Lars.'

'Where do we go from here?' asked Roseran, picking up his axe. 'To Moria? Rivendell? Lothlórien? Where?'

'I say we go to Rivendell,' Lyell said as she stood straight again. 'Perhaps Elrond can explain what has happened?'

Badall nodded. 'It should not be a long journey.'

Ryken nodded as well. 'Aragorn sure knew the land well. I know exactly where we are. The Ford can't be more than three, four days from here.'

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Wait till they actually get to Rivendell!!!!! Muahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

-Aredhen-