Dreamcast I: Become A Believer
Chapter 2: Awakening
Rating: R (for mild language, suggestive themes, some sexuality)
Summary: Rivers is thrown into Middle Earth in a freak car accident.
Somewhere between killing orcs, riding fell beasts, and snogging elves, she
realizes it's more than just a dream and living hell . . . because there is
no going back!
Feedback: nano_starr@metrodesic.com
The world shivered and jumbled up the feeble picture that Rivers was granted for a little while. The pain was incredible, raging across her shaken body.
Someone had wrapped their arms around her. Leather straps overflowed their palm and dug into her stomach. That was but a dull ache compared to what hell worked into her head.
"Everything will be okay," it said, tone glossed with a distant fear. The sound thundered in her temples, her remaining conscious identifying it as a male. Something inhuman about his nature made her doubt the pain, but she strained to think and the nail of anguish drove into her head. She cried out softly.
"Pain is only an invention of the mind." Her shrouded vision swirled, threatening to go. She focused on ignoring the hurt that waltzed across her broken soul. Her sight returned, clearing. The jumping motions had stopped and she slumped.
The man dragged her off of her seat and placed her on the ground. The familiar crunch of leaves and twigs dimmed her vision told her she was in a forest. She knuckled her will, and slammed down on the pain.
Instantly, it dissipated. It waited in the distance, like a cat waiting to pounce. Her vision clicked into clarity.
She was in a forest. A man with ragged, straggly hair couched before her. His chin was cloaked in fine bristles, a mournful smile pulling at his lips.
The pain hopped upon her and she screamed. Her sight instantly shrouded and evaporated, and she flailed.
* * * * * (Suggestive Listening: "Toxic" Brittany Spears, In the Zone)
"Mister Frodo! Please!"
Sam desperately tried to extract a response from the plagued hobbit. Frodo's bluer-than-blue eyes only showed pain and he shed a few ragged breaths.
Aragorn's hand squeezed his shoulder. "They will not live out the night without elvish medicine."
"We are six days from Rivendell!"
"Sam, do you know the Athelas plant?"
The worried hobbit nodded. "Kingsfoil? It's a weed!"
"Help me look for it. It may help to slow the poison."
They clambered off into the woods leaving the three hobbits at the temporary campsite. Merry stroked Frodo's hand lovingly. Suddenly, a voice floated in from elsewhere.
"What's this? A ranger caught off his guard?"
Rivers stirred in a pained sleep. Her mouth shaped words, but no air would bear them. Frodo wriggled and he fell across Rivers lap, and he stayed there. She smiled at the sudden warmth, but that grin was ripped to pieces by excruciating pain.
Aragorn returned with a plant in his hands. The weed had wilted from its soil withdrawal, cringing in the ranger's hands. A dark-haired elf followed him, making Merry hop to his feet in a graceful bow. Pippin seemed confused, more so than Merry.
She spoke to Frodo and Rivers, fingers caressing his face. Finally, she said in Common, "They are fading!" Aragorn bowed his head.
"I cannot bear two on one horse!"
Aragorn knuckled his brow in thought and said, "You must try. At least take Frodo."
Merry piped up, "And what of the Lady? She blocked that witch from stabbing him the first time!"
"I know, the hobbit is right. She deserves to live as much as he."
"Aragorn, I cannot do this alone on one horse!"
"Arwen, you must try! For them." He kissed her cheek. "For the Ring."
She blinked and them nodded. Once the trio was heavily situated upon her horse, she murmured, "Ride fast, ride fast!"
* * * * *
Rivers semi-conscious mind fell asleep, blocking out everything. When it stirred from its slumber, it woke the rest of her with joyous news. There was no pain, but in its place a soft comfort.
A feathery bed supported her thin, frail body. Her fingers were entwined with someone else's, someone smaller than her. Her sight was bleary, but at least she could see. Running her hand through her bandy hair, she twisted to see her bedmate.
He was quite a bit shorter than her, the swells of his feet beneath the covers stopping at her knees. His curly, brown head was resting on her shoulders and his breathing was deep and even.
She raised her shoulder in hopes of waking him. His sky blue eyes peeped out from his eyelids and he rolled off of her shoulder, looking Rivers in the eyes.
Rivers mouth dropped like a dead fly. "Frodo? Frodo Baggins?"
His sideways smile confirmed her assumption and told her he was confused, too. He asked her, "Where am I?"
"You are in the house of Elrond, and it's 10 o'clock on October the 24th, to be exact." Their heads whipped to the foot of the bed where an elderly man with a grey beard and staff slumped.
"Gandalf?" Frodo inquired.
The wizard smiled, but frowned at the girl. "You're lucky to be here, too. But I hear you tried to save Frodo's life, and that merits you an extended life."
She spat the words out after trying them for a while. "I tried to save his life?"
"Yes, good child. You took the blade in your very hands the first time he tried to stab Frodo. Not to worry, your wounds have been sealed shut."
Frodo tugged at his shirt, revealing a long slice sewn closed by elven medicine. The mouths on Rivers' palms were stitched together, but they still hurt if she poked them.
Another short person shuffled into the room. He was a trifle plump, with the same curly locks as Frodo.
"Mister Frodo!"
"Sam!"
He ran to the bedside, couching by Frodo. A thankful smile was drawn up on his face the hobbits embraced. "Bless you, you're awake!" His eyes flickered across Rivers as they parted. "And you! I can't say how happy I am for you! Trying to save Mister Frodo, thank you so very much!"
Rivers looked dumbstruck but she still smiled in confusion. Sam returned the grin with one of his own.
"Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins of the Shire and-"
She choked on the words. "I don't think I live here. I don't think I saved his life either."
The world shivered and jumbled up the feeble picture that Rivers was granted for a little while. The pain was incredible, raging across her shaken body.
Someone had wrapped their arms around her. Leather straps overflowed their palm and dug into her stomach. That was but a dull ache compared to what hell worked into her head.
"Everything will be okay," it said, tone glossed with a distant fear. The sound thundered in her temples, her remaining conscious identifying it as a male. Something inhuman about his nature made her doubt the pain, but she strained to think and the nail of anguish drove into her head. She cried out softly.
"Pain is only an invention of the mind." Her shrouded vision swirled, threatening to go. She focused on ignoring the hurt that waltzed across her broken soul. Her sight returned, clearing. The jumping motions had stopped and she slumped.
The man dragged her off of her seat and placed her on the ground. The familiar crunch of leaves and twigs dimmed her vision told her she was in a forest. She knuckled her will, and slammed down on the pain.
Instantly, it dissipated. It waited in the distance, like a cat waiting to pounce. Her vision clicked into clarity.
She was in a forest. A man with ragged, straggly hair couched before her. His chin was cloaked in fine bristles, a mournful smile pulling at his lips.
The pain hopped upon her and she screamed. Her sight instantly shrouded and evaporated, and she flailed.
* * * * * (Suggestive Listening: "Toxic" Brittany Spears, In the Zone)
"Mister Frodo! Please!"
Sam desperately tried to extract a response from the plagued hobbit. Frodo's bluer-than-blue eyes only showed pain and he shed a few ragged breaths.
Aragorn's hand squeezed his shoulder. "They will not live out the night without elvish medicine."
"We are six days from Rivendell!"
"Sam, do you know the Athelas plant?"
The worried hobbit nodded. "Kingsfoil? It's a weed!"
"Help me look for it. It may help to slow the poison."
They clambered off into the woods leaving the three hobbits at the temporary campsite. Merry stroked Frodo's hand lovingly. Suddenly, a voice floated in from elsewhere.
"What's this? A ranger caught off his guard?"
Rivers stirred in a pained sleep. Her mouth shaped words, but no air would bear them. Frodo wriggled and he fell across Rivers lap, and he stayed there. She smiled at the sudden warmth, but that grin was ripped to pieces by excruciating pain.
Aragorn returned with a plant in his hands. The weed had wilted from its soil withdrawal, cringing in the ranger's hands. A dark-haired elf followed him, making Merry hop to his feet in a graceful bow. Pippin seemed confused, more so than Merry.
She spoke to Frodo and Rivers, fingers caressing his face. Finally, she said in Common, "They are fading!" Aragorn bowed his head.
"I cannot bear two on one horse!"
Aragorn knuckled his brow in thought and said, "You must try. At least take Frodo."
Merry piped up, "And what of the Lady? She blocked that witch from stabbing him the first time!"
"I know, the hobbit is right. She deserves to live as much as he."
"Aragorn, I cannot do this alone on one horse!"
"Arwen, you must try! For them." He kissed her cheek. "For the Ring."
She blinked and them nodded. Once the trio was heavily situated upon her horse, she murmured, "Ride fast, ride fast!"
* * * * *
Rivers semi-conscious mind fell asleep, blocking out everything. When it stirred from its slumber, it woke the rest of her with joyous news. There was no pain, but in its place a soft comfort.
A feathery bed supported her thin, frail body. Her fingers were entwined with someone else's, someone smaller than her. Her sight was bleary, but at least she could see. Running her hand through her bandy hair, she twisted to see her bedmate.
He was quite a bit shorter than her, the swells of his feet beneath the covers stopping at her knees. His curly, brown head was resting on her shoulders and his breathing was deep and even.
She raised her shoulder in hopes of waking him. His sky blue eyes peeped out from his eyelids and he rolled off of her shoulder, looking Rivers in the eyes.
Rivers mouth dropped like a dead fly. "Frodo? Frodo Baggins?"
His sideways smile confirmed her assumption and told her he was confused, too. He asked her, "Where am I?"
"You are in the house of Elrond, and it's 10 o'clock on October the 24th, to be exact." Their heads whipped to the foot of the bed where an elderly man with a grey beard and staff slumped.
"Gandalf?" Frodo inquired.
The wizard smiled, but frowned at the girl. "You're lucky to be here, too. But I hear you tried to save Frodo's life, and that merits you an extended life."
She spat the words out after trying them for a while. "I tried to save his life?"
"Yes, good child. You took the blade in your very hands the first time he tried to stab Frodo. Not to worry, your wounds have been sealed shut."
Frodo tugged at his shirt, revealing a long slice sewn closed by elven medicine. The mouths on Rivers' palms were stitched together, but they still hurt if she poked them.
Another short person shuffled into the room. He was a trifle plump, with the same curly locks as Frodo.
"Mister Frodo!"
"Sam!"
He ran to the bedside, couching by Frodo. A thankful smile was drawn up on his face the hobbits embraced. "Bless you, you're awake!" His eyes flickered across Rivers as they parted. "And you! I can't say how happy I am for you! Trying to save Mister Frodo, thank you so very much!"
Rivers looked dumbstruck but she still smiled in confusion. Sam returned the grin with one of his own.
"Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins of the Shire and-"
She choked on the words. "I don't think I live here. I don't think I saved his life either."