Author's Notes: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. It took me forever to update, I'm such a bad naughty person. I take an oath to keep the updates within a month or less of each other. Even if I lose 6 fingers and an eye. That'd be painfully. Thank you so much for the reviews, I read them and I can stop smiling, then my face hurts but it's the good kind of hurt.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the world. Well one day.
Chapter Three: I Think She Has ADD
The sun had risen but the thick fog kept the morning still dark. The air had become more moist and cold throughout the night. Aragorn had taken the first watch, then Gandalf, Boromir, and finally Legolas. As the sun rose higher above the horizon, he jumped down from the tree he had climbed for his watch. He walked over to where the others slept. All the hobbits lay in a heap near Gandalf who was lying asleep on his side. On the other side of the hobbits sat Gimli against a tree snoring softly then near where the fire had been lay the girl wrapped in Boromir's cloak and Aragorn's blanket. Behind her lay Boromir on his side, facing her and before her was Aragorn lying on his back. Legolas walked closer to Katrina, though all he could see of her were a few strands of hair that had escaped from under the blanket. He knelt down and watched her, the steady rise and fall of her breath through the covers and slight movements of her legs and hands. He was concerned about her sudden appearance and the idea that she could be from another world. That would mean that someone must have sent her here, but whom and for what purpose. As he pondered about the girl, one of her arms slowly pushed out of the covers as her whole body stretched, he heard a muffled yawn and then saw her go completely still. She suddenly sat up straight looking at her bandaged wrist then to the trees covered in fog. She saw Boromir asleep at her side and she turned her had and found Legolas not but two feet away from her watching her intently. She jumped up in surprise, he stood slowly.
" Lady Katrina, are you well? Forgive me if I have startled you."
She looked at the other sleeping figures and her wrist then back to Legolas. Her hands were shaking a bit, " I thought it was a dream, that I hit my head or something," she said softly, clutching her bare arms. Legolas picked up Boromir's cloak and walked to her slowly.
" What did you think was a dream?" he asked, watching her behavior that was beginning to resemble a cornered deer. She backed away from him.
" I thought this was a dream, all of this. It can't be," her breathing sped up as she shivered more in the cold forest. Legolas stepped closer, holding out the cloak but the stepped farther away, backing into a tree.
" I am sorry Lady Katrina but this is all quite real; please take the cloak, you are not dressed for the weather," he spoke softly to her.
" Exactly," she stated, mainly to herself as she felt the tree behind her. She started to go around it. " I am dressed for a nice mid-morning hike in Death Valley. How do I go from desert to forest so quickly, it doesn't make sense," she trailed off, walking away. Legolas watched her, stepping closer.
" Perhaps it will become clearer when Gandalf awakens." His voice brought her head up and her mind out of her thoughts. He reached out and gently took hold of her forearm. She pulled away some but he held tight and put the cloak around her with the other. " Until then, you should rest and keep warm." He led her back to where she had been sleeping. She sat on the blanket quietly trying not to wake the others. She pulled the fur-lined cloak tighter looking around the campground then to Legolas, " Where's my backpack?"
He went over to where Gandalf slept and picked up her pack, and then walked towards her. " What is this 'Death Valley' you spoke of? It does not seem to sound pleasant."
She took the pack and opened the largest part. " It is just a name of a special part of the Mojave desert." She pulled out a dark-brown fleece pullover and slipped it on carefully. " Much better, much warmer now. Why didn't I think of that last night?" she muttered to herself. " Oh yeah, blood loss. Now for food." She started to dig deeper into her pack when she suddenly cried out. Both Aragorn and Boromir leap to their feet, weapons ready, even Legolas had his bow drawn, they saw Katrina clutching her wrist to her chest with her eyes shut tightly. She was muttering, " Schiße, schiße, schiße. Oh that hurts, need Vicodin now, or a morphine drip would be nice."
The three were relieved and lowered their weapons, Legolas went to her as Aragorn knelt down and gently tried to pry her arm away. She opened her eyes and glared at him.
" Now Lady Katrina I need to see your wrist," Aragorn said.
" First, before you make it feel worse could someone grab the clear bottle and smaller pack form my back pack," she said gesturing to the open pack. Boromir knelt next to her and pulled the pack closer to him. He reached in slowly and pulled out a plastic water bottle. Katrina nodded and took it from him with her good hand, and then he reached in again and pulled out a small blue-green make-up case.
" Okay now unzip it," she directed.
" Unzip?" He looked at her oddly.
" Pull that black tab towards you." He did and the first thing to fall out was a small white bottle. She reached for it with her good hand. " Thank you."
She opened the bottle easily because she broke the child safety lock earlier. She spilled three green liquid gel caps into her hand and popped them in her mouth, then took a swig of the water and swallowed the pills.
" What were those?" Legolas asked.
" Analgesic."
" What?"
" A painkiller, medicine to… alleviate pain," she slowly gave her wrist to Aragorn. She winced as he took it; Boromir put his hand on her shoulder while Legolas looked on watching her and her pack. She noticed the attention and shifted a bit in her seat. Aragorn unwrapped the bandage and removed the gauze.
" It is not infected as if yet," he looked at it closely, gently examining it.
" Yippee!" she said, " Can I have food now?"
" Let me rebind the wound, and stop moving." She stopped moving.
" Could I have a little space then? Normally I wouldn't mind the attention of des beaux morceaux but I'm feelin' a bit edgy," she gestured to the three of them. Legolas went over to the hobbits where Sam had just awoken while Boromir took his hand from her shoulder and sat back, but did not move away too much. Aragorn cleaned the wound some then rebandaged it. He turned and set about relighting the fire so that Sam could start fixing breakfast. She looked around again and shivered.
" Of all the places I could find myself it had to be a cold foggy forest," she muttered. " Why not a nice tropical resort or coastal chaparral? Where are we exactly?"
" We are a few weeks from Rivendale," Gandalf answered, walking towards her.
" Riverside?"
" No, Rivendale."
" Oh."
" Now tell me Lady Katrina," he took a seat on a rock near her, " Where were you before you came to be here? Legolas tells me that you spoke of a 'Death Valley'. Why were you traveling in such a place?"
" Really it's not as bad as it sounds. It is the low point of elevation in North America, a very deep graben… I mean basin in the Mojave Desert. I was in a place called Gower's Gulch."
" And why were you traveling in this gulch in the desert?"
" I was with my geology class… we go out to the desert because of all the great geological examples, its field experience."
" Geology, I have not heard of such a thing before."
" It's the study of the Earth, mainly its formations and how they are… formed. Also rock and minerals."
" Study rocks, you say," Gimli walked over to her.
" Yeah, it's fun, specially metamorphic rocks. They are always so pretty."
" I never knew that the females of the race of men were interested in this craft. Though I must say it is a welcomed thought," Gimli stay next to her. She smiled.
" When I was… fourteen, my science teacher got me interested in it and… wait, 'race of men'? What other races are there?"
" Well for one you are a conversation with a dwarf and a wizard at the moment."
" You're a dwarf!" She looked to Gandalf, " And you're a wizard?" They both nodded. " I see, and there are probably elves, and dragons and such as well in this place."
" Sadly, yes. There are elves, one is right there," Gimli pointed to Legolas.
" And must not forget hobbits, Master Dwarf," Pippin exclaimed. " Remember we told you last night."
" My mind has repressed all that, mostly. I don't like needles… wait, you're an elf?"
" Yes," Legolas simply replied.
" Are you sure?"
Legolas looked at her strangely, stunned by her question, Gimli snorted.
" My lady, what do you think as elf is supposed to look like?" Gandalf asked.
" I dunno, shorter… like a hobbit. He looks more like a daoine sidhe."
" And what is that, Lady Katrina?" Legolas asked, a bit shocked that she thought elves looked like hobbits.
" A daoine sidhe is… I'm hungry," she said suddenly.
Aragorn brought her a plate with bacon, sausages, eggs, and bread. The others got their plates as well.
" Thanks," she said as she looked at her meat on the plate. " Do you have any syrup?"
" Syrup?" Frodo asked.
" Yeah, like maple syrup; it comes from trees."
" Yes we know what syrup is but why would you need it?"
" I like it on my bacon, it tastes good."
" She is from another world," Merry whispered to Pippin.
" Huh?" Katrina asked.
" You are from another world, or that is what is thought," Legolas answered.
" I see; well that does make sense. We don't have dwarves, wizards, hobbits, or elves where I'm from. So this isn't Earth?"
" This is Middle Earth, also known as Arda," Gandalf said.
" Middle, eh? Where are the other parts at?" They all looked at her oddly. " Never mind, so… whatcha all doin' out here in the middle of nowhere anyway?" She started to pick at her food as the Fellowship grew into an awkward silence. They looked nervously at each other. At firs t she did not take notice to them but then looked up from her food, " Well?" More silence. She stood up suddenly and started backing away.
" I knew it," she yelled, " You guys are some freaky cult or something, aren't you!? Just my luck, lost in the forest with crazy people. You're gonna sacrifice me aren't you, to some freaky-alien-behind-a-stupid-comet-thingy. This is bad." She started to hyperventilate some.
" My land I assure you that is not the case," Gandalf said, " Now come sit back down and finish your food while I tell you of our errand."
" Errand? Like laundry or taking out the trash?"
" Yes, something like that. Now come along dear." She slowly moved back to her seat, looking at the others cautiously. She sat down, the others moving to give her room; picking up her plate, she looked to Gandalf.
" Now Lady Katrina, we are on a quest…" he started, but Katrina tensed at the word quest and her expression changed. Legolas watched her suspiciously.
" Ummm, is there a Holy Grail involved or anyone named Monty Python?" she asked trying to keep the grin off her face.
" No," Gandalf said, slightly confused. She shrugged, " Continue."
" Our errand is one of secrecy, so you must understand our reluctance to tell you." She nodded and he went on, " We are accompanying a member of this fellowship to Mordor." He paused to watch her reaction; she just stared, waiting for him to continue.
" You have never heard of Mordor, milady?" Boromir asked.
" Have you ever heard of… Finland or Disneyland? I thought we established that I wasn't from around here."
" We must be sure that you are no spy," Legolas said.
" Moi, a spy… oh well," she took a bite of the bacon.
" Are you not going to defend yourself?" Aragorn asked.
She swallowed, " Why? I have no proof that I'm not a spy. You'll just have to take my word that I'm not. So, what is this Mordor place? Is it nice?"
