Disclaimer: I own nothing, save for my own character(s).

Author: born to be hanged a.k.a. Meltintalle

Title: The Key

Rating: PG-13 (for adult themes and language) (R chapter is possible with a warning)

Genre(s): Action/Adventure/Humor/Romance (romance is minor)

Compact Summary: The fourth theme of the Ainulindalë presented the creation of portals leading to different dimensions, opened by permission of Eru and the Ainur with the use of a silver key. The temporary holder of the key passed it to his daughter before he died. Sauron's possession of the key would provide endless allies, a safe haven, and supplies. Full summary inside. R&R!

Author's Note: Thanks to all my reviewers!

I couldn't get an asterisk to work for the author's notes at the end of the chapters. So if you're confused about something, i'll probably be down there, just not marked.

italicized text indicates a character's thoughts

A special note of thanks to my beta, Satori (Satori Blackthorn)

Chapter Five

Voices in the Dark

Once we reached the rest of the group, I noticed that everyone was standing with their bags strapped to their backs, looking ready to move on. All of their bags looked as though they were made specially. I could see some of the stitching in a couple of them, and the worn material looked slightly uneven. I walked as quickly as I could to get my bag, but Sam had already bent down and picked it up for me. I felt a little uncomfortable about that. It's not that I didn't like people doing things for me, that'd be really great. But… I felt as though I was taking advantage when people did things for me. That's why I usually stuck to doing things by myself. That way, I'd also be supporting my independence.

We began to walk, mostly in two's or three's. Aragorn and Boromir were leading, and Legolas was taking up the back. I started off near Aragorn, but I was slower than everyone. My ankle was stiff, I could hardly move it properly. It wasn't hurting or anything, which I was very thankful for, but I was definitely slower than usual. I really hoped I wasn't going to slow them all down. But most of all, I was sorry I was this slow because I wanted to get away from them as soon as I could. It wasn't that I didn't like them. I liked them fair enough, but they were so… weird. I guess it could be just a big joke- I'd actually feel better if I knew it was a big joke- but there was a very prominent possibility that they were dead serious.

None of them seemed to want to talk at all, which was fine with me for a while. I liked silence, generally because most of the time I was alone. But when I was alone, I could always start talking to myself or something if I got bored. I really had to pay attention in case I started to do that. I really didn't feel like starting to talk to myself right in front of these people. They were weird themselves, but talking to yourself is just plain stupid.

For a while, I had to concentrate on not concentrating on anything in particular. I didn't feel like thinking over the last few events. That was another trouble with me. I would do things, or go through things, and people would want me to talk about it. Sometimes I did want to talk about it, but more often than not I definitely wanted to stuff the memory or memories in a closet and lock the door.

At first, I tried to concentrate on walking faster than I was, but this didn't work. I did eventually walk faster, but I started to get really out of breath, and I was beginning to sweat. So I slowed down a little. In any case, I kept looking down at my feet, and the grass that was flattened by the rest of the group kept reminding me that it might've been the same grass those guys with horses had trampled on.

So I tried to concentrate on the fact that I was heading home, and I'd never have to deal with these people ever again. This wasn't comforting, because for one thing, my home wasn't that much more safe than the forest, which led me into thinking that those people on the black horses were probably still in here…. Lurking in some dark part of the forest…. I quickly looked for another thing to think about that wouldn't involve black horses and billowing black capes.

No, no, shouldn't think about it. It's done, right? There's nothing that can be done. And nothing bad happened anyway. All you got was a couple bumps on your head and a hurt ankle. And they don't even hurt anymore, so stop brooding over it. I took a deep breath, trying not to appear as if something was wrong. That was the last thing I needed; to have someone become worried that something was wrong with me. But was nothing wrong? No, of course not! They're gone. There never going to come back. There's nothing to worry about.

Yeah, but I'm still scared…. I almost stopped walking right there. Had I just admitted that I was afraid? I know I had said so before, when I was fighting, but I had only been vaguely aware of the fact. To come out and say it straight… to say "I'm still scared" isn't something I do everyday. I don't mean to imply that I'm some tough girl who can deal with anything that comes her way without so much of a blink of an eye, because believe me, I'm not. But I don't usually admit to myself the truth, especially if it's something as hard to say as that.

I actually wanted to talk about it. I wanted to rethink about what happened. I wanted someone to tell me that everything was okay, that those men wouldn't come back with their screams and their fast horses. But, of course, the one time I actually wanted to talk to someone about it, there didn't seem to be anyone around who wanted to talk with me. The nine of them seemed as if they were perfectly fine with what had happened.

Then again, they all might have been doing the same thing I was trying to do: hide their uncertainty. But I just couldn't imagine Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, or Legolas being afraid. I hardly knew them, but I just couldn't imagine it at all. All four seemed as though they had some fear repellant or something. The four midgets, or hobbits as they called themselves, didn't look afraid. But they did have some emotion written about them. I couldn't place it. At first I thought it was fear, but I realized that this definitely wasn't the case. Then I thought it could be uncertainty. Or maybe it was worry. Or maybe both? I didn't know, and I was walking in circles in my mind.

"What was it?" I blurted out, frustrated, before I realized what I was doing. I really hadn't meant to bring them into my brooding. I really hadn't, but sometimes I just couldn't keep my big mouth shut. I really had to work on that.

"Pardon?" Frodo asked. He had been walking right in front of me. I saw Aragorn and Boromir glance back at me; I knew they were listening.

"How can you just not say anything?" I asked, really looking hard for the right words. I couldn't think of how to say what I wanted to say a lot of times.

"About-"

"About what happened! You- you all just act like it never happened! Who were they? Why were they chasing me?" I knew this was very vague sounding, so I added with emphasis, "The riders in black!" I felt funny saying bringing it up in the first place, but also because it had happened before the attack. Delayed reaction. Delayed worries.

Aragorn stopped walking, and of course the rest of the group followed suit. I wasn't sure what he was looking at, but it was something that was in front of him and down a little. He seemed to be concentrating on something that was hard to think about. Come to think about it, he looked as if he was having trouble breathing, or if not that, he was trying to shake off a bad migraine. When he finally turned around, I actually saw that he was the one to have slight confusion in his expression.

"The Nazgûl," he murmured quietly. He looked to the sky, as if he had explained everything.

I, of course, did not know anything that sounded as weird as that word he had just spoken. The nasgool? What the hell is that? Alright, now I am really sorry I brought this up. "Yah," I said hotly. I was really trying to contain my annoyance, but this was going too far. "That really helps me a whole lot. What is it with you people? Why do you always talk in riddles? Just say what you want to say in normal English please." You drive me crazy….

Aragorn turned towards me so that I could see his silhouette against the light though the trees. I crossed my arms over my chest as he stepped towards me. "The Nine Riders," he said softly, as though this was a painful subject to talk about.

"Ooooh," I drawled, "that is much better. Because, I know exactly what that means." I didn't, of course, and I really hoped he would recognize that syrup thick sarcasm that coated my words.

"Surely you are joking."

"Obviously I'm not," I said dryly. I wished he would just stop trying to hint at what he was explaining and just explain it. I hated when people did that. You don't know something, and they're surprised like there's no tomorrow. And then they've got to make this huge deal out of it. Like, 'Hey, she doesn't know what this is! Can you believe that? Can you?' I mean, they always make such a big deal out of my not knowing something for the five minutes that they could've just been telling me what it is. That always bothered me.

"They are the Dark Lord's greatest servants, intent on performing his utmost wishes," he said patiently, though quietly, as though he felt that he shouldn't be the one to tell me this.

"You need not worry about them anymore," Gimli said. "Their great mounts were defeated before we arrived in Rivendell. Their horses are common ones; they will tire easily. They will use them only to ride back to their Master. Then we may worry about them." He turned me, and urged Aragorn and Boromir to continue walking. They acquiesced, which also forced me to continue down their nonexistent path.

"Why?" I asked, curious to why they would have to be worried about later and not now. Did it even make a difference? They were still out there.

"They will not risk traveling far with fragile beasts as their mounts," he explained, turning only his head. I wondered how he could wear that helmet everyday all the time. Didn't his head get, you know, sweaty under there or anything? Wasn't it uncomfortable?

"So they go somewhere to get other transportation? Why don't they just fly?" I really tried to prevent myself from rolling my eyes at the obviousness of the situation. If those nine riders had wanted to go somewhere so fast, I would think it would be sensible just to use the road. Of course, that would be sensible if they weren't in trouble with the law. That would probably be a different story. Well, they were all in black. Maybe they weren't exactly on legal terms. That would make sense. I can't believe I didn't think of that before. Duh.

"Their next mounts may be airborne beasts," Boromir said darkly. "But let us hope this is not so. I do not wish for them to be above us."

"That would create a large disadvantage, were we to have need to depart from the protection of the forest," Aragorn agreed bleakly. He looked very tired, as if there was some great weight or responsibility on his shoulders. I felt kind of sorry for him. He looked so depressed, so sad, I just wanted to… well, I couldn't do anything, that that was what was bothering me. But I didn't know him, so why was it bothering me? That was another trouble with me. I was too soft-hearted. For all my harsh remarks and my tough exterior, I was too easily swayed. I kept telling myself that I would grow out of this as I grew older, but I hadn't seen very much improvement in the last few years.

"So they're going back to their manager now? Who's that? Some crook? A bootlegger or criminal or someone like that?"

Okay, I knew that I wasn't really into something that all of them obviously knew about. I knew I wasn't in on some club knowledge factor or something. But the way they were all looking at me, you'd think I didn't know what weed was or something. "What?" What am I? A museum exhibit? Just tell me what the hell's going on!

"The Dark Lord," Frodo finally whispered. After he said it, his eyes darted from left to right, then to Aragorn, as if he was asking for his permission. Aragorn didn't protest, so he relaxed.

I smacked my forehead, then immediately regretted it. I swore softly, feeling my face get hot, a reaction that often came along with pain. As soon as I recovered from that shock, I said hotly, "The dark lord? Doo do do do! Do do do do! Oh, scary!" I wiggled my fingers in the air as I sang the annoying tune. "You crack me up. No, really, tell me."

"Why are you never serious?" Pippin asked.

"What a question for you to ask, Pip," Merry said goodnaturedly, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. Pippin grinned, nodding in reluctant agreement.

"I was serious," I said, interrupting their playful banter. "It's you who's never serious. You can't be serious. Say a name, say it's just a criminal, say anything. Just… don't say it's 'the dark lord'. That's pretty pathetic." I sighed tiredly. I really couldn't wait until I got home. I didn't care if we just got to the outsides of some rural neighborhood. At least someone would most likely have a telephone, and then I could get home. I wished I was already at home. Home might not have been much for me, with just a cot for a bed and a drunk mom, but it was still some place that I could call home.

Aragorn turned around. He walked towards the back of the group, stopping finally when he was standing directly in front of me. I frowned, tilting my head to the side, but I also had to tilt it up. He looked at me searchingly, looked at my clothes, my hair, my face, though I had no idea what for. He looked like he was trying to figure out some riddle, but I really didn't get why he had to be looking at me to do it. I didn't get why he even had to be standing in front of me to do it.

"You do not know who the Dark Lord is?" he asked finally. I wondered if that was what he was trying to figure out. Well, it sure took you long enough.

"Is it a person?" I asked. If they were this intent on calling him the Dark Lord, then I guessed it was some sort of stupid nickname. That was somewhat believeable. I knew plenty of people who named the leaders of their gangs really stupid names. Of course, Aragorn decided at that moment that he was going to continue his search on me. He didn't even answer me. But this time, all he did was look at me face. Maybe he was trying to find out if I was lying. I guessed I was safe from that accusation, because I really wasn't lying. For once in my life.

After it seemed like hours, Aragorn turned around without so much of a word to me. "We shall be stopping for the night," he announced to the rest of the group. "The sun already sets low on the horizon. Watch for possible resting places." Then he walked to the front of the formation and continued walking.

I felt my mouth drop open like an idiot. What had just happened? I looked behind me at Legolas, my mouth still open in disbelief. Of course, he didn't offer any explanation either. He just gave me a really bland smile and nodded, signaling me to walk or we would fall behind. I turned around, but I really couldn't understand what had just happened. What was he looking at me for? Was I supposed to explain something to him? I felt so frustrated, I felt tears come to my eyes and my breathing was becoming erratic. I quickly tried to get myself under control. I didn't want anyone to notice that I was this disconcerted. So I just kept reminding myself that I would be home in a few hours. Just a few more hours. They'll drop me off before they find their camping place, and I'll go home. Just a little while more.

Of course, this proved that everything was definitely not going to go as I had planned. There was a very big possibility that I would have to actually camp with them. The slim chance that I would arrive home tonight was getting slimmer. I felt my heartbeat quicken, my skin radiate heat. I knew I should say something, anything, to unleash my feelings. I wished I could hold myself upright, instead of continuing to slouch forwards when I walked. There was a feeling that I could barely stand upright, that there was something heavy on my shoulders. I was sinking slowly into dark depression, one thing that I knew had no bottom. I would sink forever, my body drifting with the dark current that was crushing the breath out of me, if I couldn't lift myself up. I took a deep breathe, straightened my spine with determination, and lifted my head out. Depression was persuasive, but I could fight it.

So I continued to walk, and I managed to keep my emotions and my thoughts to myself. I put my hand to my chest a couple of times, feeling the outline of my Ada's key against the soft material of the shirt. This gave me a mysterious reassurance, but a reassurance none the less.

I wasn't sure what I had been expecting. I wasn't expecting to go to some hotel, of course. But I hadn't actually thought that we would all be sleeping on the ground. I didn't mind, of course. I just hadn't thought that far ahead. I wasn't so sure why it was such a big surprise.

Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas all lended me their cloaks to sleep on. I felt really guilty taking their coats, and I tried to tell them I would just… deal with the cold or something. I really hadn't wanted to do this, but I thought it would be worse for myself to nice and warm while they weren't. So I tried to give the garments back. But of course, I hadn't realized that everyone had their own sleeping supplies in their packs. So each had a sort of sleeping roll.

I laid one of the cloaks on the ground beneath me, then wrapped myself up in the other two. I had placed myself slightly apart from the group. It had just seemed the right thing to do. I felt just a little funny sleeping side by side with complete strangers, not to mention that they were all men.

I lay awake, trying to get to sleep. But I was too anxious, though I couldn't put my finger on the cause. In a way, this encounter was a bit exciting. All my life, I had dreamed that I would go on grand adventures. I would go to some distant land, where I would meet important people, and I would meet someone who would become my best friend. I would have lots of friends, friends who respected me for who I was. I would fight against robbers, I would win of course, and then everyone would like me. Well, as wonderful as this sounded to me, I knew that every young girl or boy wished they could go on grand adventures. I was just foolish enough to think that it could turn into reality.

In some strange sense, this was my big adventure. And so far, I hadn't met any best friends, I hadn't been glorified in battle, and the whole time I had felt as if I was going to burst any moment. I guessed grand adventures were never all they were told to be. I guessed they were told just like everything else: as lies. I guess nothing is ever as it seems.

I sighed, rolling over and shivering. The air was very chilly despite the two cloaks I was wrapped in. And suddenly the feeling of lonliness and of being lost returned. I was anxious, and this time I knew that my lonliness was fueling it. I guess anyone else would be better off than me. Anyone else in this situation had something to look forward to. Any other girl could just go home and cry into her mother's shoulder. Any other girl would go to her best friend and tell him or her about all of this. Any other girl would have someone to tell. Any other girl would have someone to go to.

Then I was tired of thinking. I really wanted to go to sleep, but, again, I wasn't sure about that. I wondered if I should stay awake, just in case. I didn't lift my head to see who was still awake. I knew Legolas was still awake; he was sitting off to the side of all of the others, watching into the night. I guessed he was watching to make sure no more orcs or any other monsters came and attacked us again. I guess that relieved some of my anxiety, because he would alert us if there was any danger of another attack.

I was glad, but yet not glad that I had turned my back to the dark forest. I was on the outskirts of the camp. I was never really afraid of the dark, or anything like that. I wasn't usually afraid to be in darkness, because I was almost always in darkness. I guess if you don't make that much money, not paying the electric bill isn't the biggest issue. So we usually didn't have any light other than candles in our appartment. I also liked to look at the dark as a two-sided strategy. I couldn't see anything if someone was there, but they couldn't see me either. Many of my childhood hiding places had been dark places, like the basement of our apartment building. But as many times as it had saved me from some fear, I wasn't friends with the dark. I didn't like it, but sometimes it worked as my advantage.

My eyelids were becoming very droopy and heavy. I tried to stay awake, but I couldn't move around, because then Legolas would know I was still awake and on guard. I wasn't sure why I thought this was so bad, because when I thought about it later, I realized that it wouldn't really matter whether he knew or not. Just keep your eyes open….

I awoke with a start, angry with myself that I hadn't managed to fall asleep. I couldn't remember how I hadn't caught myself. Oh well. Damn, it's cold. I drew a breath, then let it out. The air was so cold that my breath formed an icy mist. I squirmed deeper into Boromir and Legolas' cloaks, but this didn't help at all. My feet were very cold. And I felt as if my ankle brace was cutting off the circulation in my right foot. It wasn't too tight, but it was preventing my foot from moving. I rubbed my arms underneath the material, really wishing I'd brought a sweatshirt or something.

"She appears no different from another human woman," said a quiet voice. I jumped before I realized it was Aragorn's from the darkness. He was beyond the place where my head lay, close enough for me to hear him, but far enough from him to not be able to see him when I lifted my head a little.

"But yet she is different," another voice finished for him softly. I recognized Legolas' voice, which seemed more musical, if you could call a voice that, compared to Aragorn's. I tried not to hold my breath. Just breath nice and normal and they won't hear you. I was afraid that if I held my breath and had to suck in a gulp of air, Legolas would hear it. He had some hearing, that guy. I allowed myself to move a little, because it was very dark, and once again, since I couldn't see them, they obviously couldn't see me.

"That will determine your decision," he continued, "for your suspicions may be correct or they may be incorrect."

"What would you have me do?" Aragorn asked. His voice was almost bitter, as if he didn't like being uncertain. Well, I could understand that. I hated to be uncertain. Just like that moment. I was uncertain because they seemed to be talking about me. There were no other people that could be described as a 'she' in this group save for me. But as much as I hated people talking about me, I was just so tired of it. I didn't even want to hear what they were saying anymore. Because it was usually the same thing, and I'd heard it countless times before.

However, I didn't want to sleep while they talked about me. I didn't want to be completely off guard if they decided to try and pull something. So I lay awake, and this time I made sure I stayed awake.

"That is not for me to decide," Legolas murmured quietly, in a soft whisper. His voice was so quiet even when he talked that I could hardly hear him, and I actually caught myself straining to hear what he was saying. I was listening in on their conversation. I couldn't help but want to hear what they were saying, which was exactly what I was tired of doing. I guess I still wanted to hear what people were saying; I was just tired of wanting to listen.

"Then tell me as if it was your decision," Aragorn insisted. He wanted advice, and I knew he also wanted consultation from a friend. Funny, how I can read everyone but myself. Real funny.

"I believe she is different," Legolas confirmed. "Her expressions are foreign, as is her mode of dress. But the crucial fact is that she obviously thinks we are strange. We are the foreign beings, we have a foreign language. We are different."

I listened to this, and found that I was very amused. Well, duh, of course you're weird. You call yourself a goddamn elf. Please tell me how that's not weird.

I heard Aragorn give a little sigh of amusement. "Yes, we were… what had she said? 'Driving her up a wall?' Such a peculiar expression. But as peculiar as she is, there is no way to be certain that she is his daughter."

My eyes popped, and I could feel my right eye twitching. Whoa, wait a minute- Back up- His daughter? Whose daughter? I really had to restrain myself from jumping all over the place. I wanted to jump up and demand that they tell me what they were talking about. But I managed to restrain myself, though with much effort. As corny as it sounded, I actually felt as though my whole body was shaking with some exhilaration. I wasn't even sure what they were talking about. But I was shaking like some little kid at six-o-clock on Christmas day.

"This is true," Legolas said softly. "But if you were to choose your original proposal, you have no option but to accept your fault."

"But this is only if she is his daughter. This I know. The circumstances seem to reveal the truth. The key would be safe with the child in her distant dimension. Until now, if she possesses it."

I couldn't understand all of this, of course. I had just sort of stated to eavesdrop in the middle of their conversation. So, naturally, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Except that they might have been talking about my father. And keys and distant dimensions, or something like that. I really hoped they were substituting those words for another phrase, for the sake of my sanity. This was all very out there. I'd always dreamed of different worlds and crap like that. But I was young, and all young children dreamed about different worlds and planets where they'd meet cool and interesting people. Or things, whatever they imagined.

There was obviously something very valuable involved. I guessed that whoevery they were talking about had possession of it sometime, or maybe he knew where it was or who had it, and someone else wanted it. Maybe it was some key, because he had said something about a key. Maybe it was a key to a room full of money in some underground vault or something. And maybe the daughter knew something about it? I wasn't sure, but if that was the case, I would have felt a little better. Because I didn't know anything about anything valuable, and I definitely didn't own anything worth more than ten dollars.

So they can't be talking about me. Nothing to worry about. Poor girl, whoever they are talking about. I feel bad for her. On one hand, I was glad that I couldn't possibly be the one they suspected me to be, because then I wouldn't have to worry about some huge problem that I wasn't even involved in. But, that would mean that they weren't talking about my father. It didn't surprise me so much, because I knew that every good possibility came with a bad possibility. But I was still a little disappointed that they weren't talking about him.

Wait- What the hell am I talking about? Different dimensions? Keys? Bad guys? Come on, this is your classic daydream! I couldn't feel more stupid then I did at that moment. How could I even begin to think that they were being serious? How did I even know this wasn't some wacked up video game trivia? And worst of all, how could I insert myself into the stupid fantasy?

"-why she is here. Or how, for that matter," Aragorn said, his quiet voice failing to interrupt my thoughts in time. Their conversation might have been wacked, but I still wanted to listen. It wouldn't hurt to just fantasize for one night, would it? "There is not much of a possibility that she would know how to operate it. She would be too young."

"And too unknowing," Legolas added. "Another world. She would not be familiar with anything in this dimension. Nor would she be aware of the fact that the Enemy knows she is here and that the Dark Lord is undoubtedly in search of her possession."

Ach, there's that 'dark lord' crap again. I thought you were crazy before, but now I see you are both nuts. Oh well, it doesn't matter. Whoever's looking for whatever they're looking for, I don't have it. I was saying it over and over in my head, almost as if I was trying to reassure myself of this fact. Because if I didn't do this, I would be submerged in my doubts. But what if I did have this thing they were looking for? What if I really was in some different… dimension? Do you even realize how incredibly stupid you sound? There's no such thing as a different dimension. There just isn't. And even if there were, there would be no way to get there. It would be impossible. This is crazy! Oh, crud, I just missed what Aragorn said.

"Then that is your decision?" Legolas asked.

"I believe that we should find out her father's name, and if she possesses the key," Aragorn said firmly, but softly. "If she is his daughter, then she is in great danger. Arnatur Veralidaine did not send his daughter to another dimension for the sake of amusement." I heard Legolas murmur his quiet agreement, but I wasn't really listening anymore.

'Arnatur Veralidaine did not send his daughter to another dimension for the sake of amusement.' Arnatur Veralidaine. Veralidaine. Lalaine Veralidaine. Veralidaine. I continued to repeat the name over and over in my mind, until I had said it so many times that I wondered if he had actually said it. Had he said 'Veralidaine' or had I said it so many times to make myself believe he had? Despite my earlier efforts, my breath was now coming out in short, heavy spurts.

He'd said it! I heard him! But as surprised as I was to hear him say my surname, my thoughts drifted to the name that he had said preceding it. Arnatur…. What a weird name…. If it was a name, I had never heard anyone called by that. It sounded strange to my ears, yet somehow it sounded very familiar. Could that be the name of my father? Of course not! Your dad's dead, you idiot. He's dead. He's never coming back. He's dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Gone. Don't be so gullible. But I couldn't think of many people who had my name. I remembered lots of times when I had been forced to look up information on my name, my family, my origin. And I always got awful grades on those assignments, because I just couldn't find anything. Both my names had absolutely no root term.

But wouldn't it explain everything? It would, wouldn't it? The only thing that wouldn't explain itself is the existence of another dimension. The more I thought about it, the more I plunged deeper into my fantasy world. Deep down, I doubted that I was in a different dimension from Earth. But my wishful thinking was making me sigh with content and delight. A whole new start, that would be. It'd explain everything: why I don't have parents, why they never had any records, why my whole family never had any records or history or anything; why I never felt like I belonged…. I realized my mistake as soon as I thought of this. And I knew I only wanted to believe something that wasn't true and that would never be true. All of these false beliefs because I wanted to run away from my mess of a life. I wanted my make believe mom to take me to her house with the flowers and the big windows.

Then does that mean that this whole thing is a joke? Some joke…. But they had sounded so serious. Where they just horsing around? I hate this whole thing! I just want to go home and forget I ever met these crazy people! I didn't want to daydream anymore. This whole thing was wrapping me in it, and I had some crazy suspicion that if I didn't get out, I would be stuck, just like depression.

"Then our task is clear," Aragorn said, and I almost cursed out loud when I realized I had just missed a good five minutes of their conversation. "We must observe everything possible about this young woman, and without her knowing, if possible. If she is his daughter, we must not lead her to the village, and certainly she should not be informed of her situation until she under safe supervision."

"The Lady of the Light," Legolas said, as if he had read Aragorn's mind.

I frowned, not listening to Aragorn's reply. I hadn't thought of that. Now not only were they themselves involved in this crazy fantasy, but they were going to force me to be involved. They obviously thought I had this thing they were looking for. I hadn't even thought that I probably wouldn't be going home if they really thought I had whatever it was. I hadn't thought of what this all meant. I hadn't thought too far ahead to think that if they thought I was involved, they wouldn't allow me to leave. "We must not lead her to the village." I sucked in my breath, suddenly remembering something that Aragorn had said. "The key would be safe with the child in her distant dimension. Until now, if she possesses it." A key…. I wondered if he was speaking literally, or if it was just a word substitution.

I stared straight ahead, buried in the two cloaks and lying on my side, while my cold fingers caressed the silver chain around my neck. The iciness of my touch slid down to where my father's key lay on the extra material of my shirt. I shivered, this time not only because I was cold, but also because I was afraid.

Was he speaking literally? This was the dividing factor. If he wasn't speaking literally, I had nothing to worry about. But if he was, then I definitely had a lot of things to worry about. Suddenly something was different. Aragorn and Legolas were silent. I didn't dare move an inch now, because if they found out that I was eavesdropping, I was in for it.

I thought about just taking the stupid necklace off and putting it in one of their packs. Then I could run away and be done what all this. I just wanted to go home. But I couldn't bring myself to move and take off my dad's possession. I couldn't just give my only treasure to some people, who could be lying and joking, by the way, and just walk off as if nothing important had happened. I just couldn't do it.

Panicking, I tried to think of what else I could do. I didn't have many advantages. Most of them belonged to those people. There were more of them. As fast as I thought I was before, they were much faster. They had all kinds of weapons, while I had nothing but my own body and a little pocket knife in my backpack. And I was scared.

Author's Note: Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!