Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien, Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings, so therefore
I did not write Lord of the Rings.
After breakfast, Elize excitedly ran out of the inn. She looked at the road, and seeing all the people made her feel sure she would be home before long. She ran up to a man.
"Sir, have you by any chance ever heard of the Shire?"
The man ignored her and walked on. Annoyed she turned to another man.
"Sir? Sir!"
Once again she was ignored, so she decided to try her luck with a woman.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but…"
Once again, she was ignored.
Frustrated, Elize yelled at the top of her lungs, "Listen to me!"
This time people seemed to recognize that she was there, but having them simply mutter about the annoying little hobbit was not the reaction she wanted. Elize walked up to a woman selling fish.
"Have you ever heard of the Shire?"
The woman continued talking with a customer, ignoring Elize.
Elize growled, "Why is everyone so rude around here?"
The saleswoman finished her transation with her customer and turned to Elize. "When I first saw you, you were an eye sore, which really isn't unusual around these parts, but then when you yelled you became an ear sore. Then, when you spoke to me, you presented yourself as an nose sore. Personally, I'm afraid if you become any more kinds of sores you may just kill of one of my customers. I seriously doubt you are a customer yourself, or you would not look like a half-starved, dying hobbit."
This, of course, upset and angered Elize, who would not usually look so bad. She had not had many good meals or baths as of late, due to her situation, which she would be out of if only someone would take the time to help her! Why, if she had a way to return home, she would be able to fatten herself up again and bathe, and she'd be considered almost pretty.
Well, first things first, Elize went to another shop within the fish seller's line of view, and bought some jerky, just to prove that she could have been a paying customer to the rude woman. She ate her jerky while glaring at the woman, until she realized that she had no clue where she was going. She knew by now that most people would ignore her, and it was no use wandering further away from the inn.
She probably should have asked the man she bought the jerky from for directions, but more likely than not he would not know the way. Besides, Elize was beginning to get thirsty, as she had not brought a water skin, and she saw a small creek a little ways off the road. She walked over to it, crouched down, and got a drink of the bitter water.
She suspected that this water was far from pure. She looked up to see a strange creature crouched in much the same position that she was. They were similar in height, but this creature was much fairer than Elize on even her best day. Of course, that was not uncommon, it simply implied at least a small amount of beauty. The oddest thing about the creature that faced Elize was the fact that it had black wings sprouting from its back.
Suddenly the creature got up and ran off, and Elize chased after her. Elize had no trouble crossing the creek, as it was so shallow that it only went a quarter of the way up the hobbit's leg. Elize chased her until she noticed that she was surrounded by trees.
Elize thought this was odd, as she had not noticed a forest before. She panicked and spun around, yelling "Fairy! Fay! Where have we gone?"
Hearing a giggle behind her, Elize spun around to see the fairy standing there.
The fairy responded, "Where we have gone is of no importance, as I can return you just as quickly. Although I would beware of the spiders around here, as their bite can be quite poisonous."
Nervously, Elize began to inspect the ground for spiders.
"You need not look down for them, they are quite large, larger than you in fact. But that does not matter, what does matter is where you will go."
"Can I go to the Shire?"
The fairy smiled, "Yes, but first you must do an errand for me, but do not worry, it is simply to ensure that you will not be taken again after I return you."
"What is this errand?"
"The man who took you from the Shire must be slain. Do not worry about how you will get the tools to do this, I will provide you with anything you need."
Elize looked shocked and responded, "Why do you tell me to not worry? Why would I kill a man? I would never do such a thing, after all, once I return home I can forget about this whole ordeal and move on. If I kill a man, no matter how wretched, I fear I may never be able to move on."
"Oh, foul greedy beast! You only think of your own future! You may very well never be taken again, but what of the other hobbits he will steal from the Shire in the future? You are ensuring that there will be more abductions if you do not do this."
"It was your idea, can you not be the one to perform the deed?" Elize countered.
"I could not do such a thing, not for lack of will, but lack of strength.
Sounding skeptical, Elize said, "So you go to a half-starved hobbit for help?"
"I am sorry, but I fear that a man would not care enough about hobbits to even wish for them to receive aid. I could not go to one of them to get this done. But do not think you are less able to do this than I, for no hobbit bones snap like the bones of a fairy. The very reason we learn magic is that we would surely die without some form of protection. You doubt my words, here, squeeze my hand."
Elize did so, but quickly released the fairy's hand as she felt the bones bend, nearly cracking, under the gentle force of the squeeze. When the creature pulled her hand back whimpering, Elize realized that she had little to fear from her.
Elize thought of a plan that would not involve her killing a man, and quickly explained it. "I know a man who would care enough for hobbits to be willing and able to aid you. His name is Aragorn." ______________________________________________________________________
Aragorn concluded, after asking around, that Elize had gone to the market place. He was even able to trace her steps up to a creek, where it became quite simple, as the moist dirt had deep hobbit tracks in it. He saw that the tracks continued past the creek, but since they stopped a couple feet away in the middle of a particularly moist patch of dirt, this only added to the mystery of what happened to her.
He noticed that her footprints were joined by another set of prints that were similar in size, although thinner. This other set of footprints showed that whoever they belonged to had been facing the creek, then turned and left, though there was no set of prints marking their arrival.
At first, these clues seemed to promise progress in finding her, but by the time night fell, no new clues were found, nor the morning after. It seemed as though Merry's daughter had disappeared into thin air. If by the following night no more clues could be found, Aragorn would have to return to the Shire. He could not risk more hobbits being taken.
After breakfast, Elize excitedly ran out of the inn. She looked at the road, and seeing all the people made her feel sure she would be home before long. She ran up to a man.
"Sir, have you by any chance ever heard of the Shire?"
The man ignored her and walked on. Annoyed she turned to another man.
"Sir? Sir!"
Once again she was ignored, so she decided to try her luck with a woman.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but…"
Once again, she was ignored.
Frustrated, Elize yelled at the top of her lungs, "Listen to me!"
This time people seemed to recognize that she was there, but having them simply mutter about the annoying little hobbit was not the reaction she wanted. Elize walked up to a woman selling fish.
"Have you ever heard of the Shire?"
The woman continued talking with a customer, ignoring Elize.
Elize growled, "Why is everyone so rude around here?"
The saleswoman finished her transation with her customer and turned to Elize. "When I first saw you, you were an eye sore, which really isn't unusual around these parts, but then when you yelled you became an ear sore. Then, when you spoke to me, you presented yourself as an nose sore. Personally, I'm afraid if you become any more kinds of sores you may just kill of one of my customers. I seriously doubt you are a customer yourself, or you would not look like a half-starved, dying hobbit."
This, of course, upset and angered Elize, who would not usually look so bad. She had not had many good meals or baths as of late, due to her situation, which she would be out of if only someone would take the time to help her! Why, if she had a way to return home, she would be able to fatten herself up again and bathe, and she'd be considered almost pretty.
Well, first things first, Elize went to another shop within the fish seller's line of view, and bought some jerky, just to prove that she could have been a paying customer to the rude woman. She ate her jerky while glaring at the woman, until she realized that she had no clue where she was going. She knew by now that most people would ignore her, and it was no use wandering further away from the inn.
She probably should have asked the man she bought the jerky from for directions, but more likely than not he would not know the way. Besides, Elize was beginning to get thirsty, as she had not brought a water skin, and she saw a small creek a little ways off the road. She walked over to it, crouched down, and got a drink of the bitter water.
She suspected that this water was far from pure. She looked up to see a strange creature crouched in much the same position that she was. They were similar in height, but this creature was much fairer than Elize on even her best day. Of course, that was not uncommon, it simply implied at least a small amount of beauty. The oddest thing about the creature that faced Elize was the fact that it had black wings sprouting from its back.
Suddenly the creature got up and ran off, and Elize chased after her. Elize had no trouble crossing the creek, as it was so shallow that it only went a quarter of the way up the hobbit's leg. Elize chased her until she noticed that she was surrounded by trees.
Elize thought this was odd, as she had not noticed a forest before. She panicked and spun around, yelling "Fairy! Fay! Where have we gone?"
Hearing a giggle behind her, Elize spun around to see the fairy standing there.
The fairy responded, "Where we have gone is of no importance, as I can return you just as quickly. Although I would beware of the spiders around here, as their bite can be quite poisonous."
Nervously, Elize began to inspect the ground for spiders.
"You need not look down for them, they are quite large, larger than you in fact. But that does not matter, what does matter is where you will go."
"Can I go to the Shire?"
The fairy smiled, "Yes, but first you must do an errand for me, but do not worry, it is simply to ensure that you will not be taken again after I return you."
"What is this errand?"
"The man who took you from the Shire must be slain. Do not worry about how you will get the tools to do this, I will provide you with anything you need."
Elize looked shocked and responded, "Why do you tell me to not worry? Why would I kill a man? I would never do such a thing, after all, once I return home I can forget about this whole ordeal and move on. If I kill a man, no matter how wretched, I fear I may never be able to move on."
"Oh, foul greedy beast! You only think of your own future! You may very well never be taken again, but what of the other hobbits he will steal from the Shire in the future? You are ensuring that there will be more abductions if you do not do this."
"It was your idea, can you not be the one to perform the deed?" Elize countered.
"I could not do such a thing, not for lack of will, but lack of strength.
Sounding skeptical, Elize said, "So you go to a half-starved hobbit for help?"
"I am sorry, but I fear that a man would not care enough about hobbits to even wish for them to receive aid. I could not go to one of them to get this done. But do not think you are less able to do this than I, for no hobbit bones snap like the bones of a fairy. The very reason we learn magic is that we would surely die without some form of protection. You doubt my words, here, squeeze my hand."
Elize did so, but quickly released the fairy's hand as she felt the bones bend, nearly cracking, under the gentle force of the squeeze. When the creature pulled her hand back whimpering, Elize realized that she had little to fear from her.
Elize thought of a plan that would not involve her killing a man, and quickly explained it. "I know a man who would care enough for hobbits to be willing and able to aid you. His name is Aragorn." ______________________________________________________________________
Aragorn concluded, after asking around, that Elize had gone to the market place. He was even able to trace her steps up to a creek, where it became quite simple, as the moist dirt had deep hobbit tracks in it. He saw that the tracks continued past the creek, but since they stopped a couple feet away in the middle of a particularly moist patch of dirt, this only added to the mystery of what happened to her.
He noticed that her footprints were joined by another set of prints that were similar in size, although thinner. This other set of footprints showed that whoever they belonged to had been facing the creek, then turned and left, though there was no set of prints marking their arrival.
At first, these clues seemed to promise progress in finding her, but by the time night fell, no new clues were found, nor the morning after. It seemed as though Merry's daughter had disappeared into thin air. If by the following night no more clues could be found, Aragorn would have to return to the Shire. He could not risk more hobbits being taken.