Helllllllooooooooooooooo everyone! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long, been a bitsy (as gollum would say) busy. ;)

Disclaimer: Lilka!! Come on and say it!
Lilka: Rachael does not own LOTR although she REALLY wants to, but she does own me and Cadan, it's like we're slaves or something. Sheesh... /stalks away

My-fool-of-a-took: I have no clue who Lilka's cute guys are, hmm... maybe a dude named Dave. lol, I dunno, I think every Dave I've ever met is cute... 0.o lol, I belive you, that you have pointy ears. Alot of my friends do, of course I don't... sigh.... I say that we find ourselves a plan to rule the world and make ourselves into hobbits. I'd rather be an elf then a hobbit anyway. Elves are too "I have to look good or else ppl won't think I'm hott" sort of attitude... 0.o I think I'm going crazy today. lol, btw, Update soooon on Voice Within! I miss Pip! :D Thanks for reviewing!

Anna Taure: lol, getting your arm getting broken is NOT a good thing. ;p Thanks for reviewing!

justforkicks: Thanks! I like the name Lilka, too. Thanks for reviewing!

Piratica: Well, with the book thing, Lilka had an older publication (wow! a BIG word! lol) So it's just a plain blue cover or something. And no, Lilka had never seen the movies.And she probably doesn't remember the previews either, so yeah... So the secret is not out that Lilka has the BIG BOOK OF MAGICAL DOOM!!! Sorry, random moment. I have no clue with what I'm going to do to Becca, Lilka might not even tell her, not sure yet... Must... decide.... lol, Thanks for reviewing!!

Canadian Coco Chick: Thank you! I try to make this story as different as possible. :D

Daydreaming Turtle: Yeah, sorry about the Amon Sul thingy. My beta reader fixed it, but of course, I thought I knew better. 0.o Yeah, I like the book better then the movies anyway, I hated it when the movie made Farimir mean and made Frodo abandom Sam.,... DIE PETER JACKSON!!. lol... I think in the next chapter I'll do a bit on Cadan's POV, and I did a certain little hobbits' POV for this chapter. hugs Pippin Thankies for reviewing!

On to chapter 4!!!
Chapter 4

Lilka's POV:

Bugs. Bugs. And more, bugs. They are everywhere. Swarming around us and biting everyone. My arms and neck are all puffy with bumps, not to mention my broken arm is throbbing again. I need bug spray, Advil, anti-itch cream, anything. Why didn't Strider bring these things with him in the first place? If yesterday at this swamp was bad, today is much, much worse.

The land is so soggy and wet that I have to hop from dry place to dry place. Sometimes I step in disgusting puddles. I don't think my tennis shoes will ever be the same again.

I sigh in frustration miserably attempt to swat at 6 mosquitoes on my arm.

I feel depressed. I suppose anyone would if they would suddenly fall into a fantasy. Is it even possible to fall into a book?Why couldn't Becca have fallen with me? Or maybe her just by herself? Does this normally happen but no one ever speaks of it? Am I going crazy?

I still don't think I've been over the shock of it all. No, I know I'll never get used to this. Who would? How will I ever get home? What will I do?

I shake my head at the thoughts spinning around in my head and try to ignore them. If I am to be stuck in a fantasy, I will have to find Cadan. Maybe he will know what to do. I wonder where he is right now. Does he have someone to travel with, or is he stuck out in the wildness, hoping beyond hope that someone will find him? I shiver at the thought. I couldn't stand it if he would be hurt, or even… die.

I shake my head again. No. That will never happen. I won't let it happen. Cadan is like a part of my soul. If something happens to him, I would be devastated. Even if he is a pain at times, we are really close. I've told him almost every one of my secrets, and he to me. I won't let anything happen to him. Ever.

I just hope that I can find him in this strange land.


Pippin's POV:

I don't like the Midgewater Marshes. There are too many midges and I think my whole body is swelling up because of all the bites!

I still do not know what to think of Lilka. I've hardly ever heard any language except for the Common Tongue, but these sounds are more foreign then I've ever heard in my entire life. Merry thinks so, too. He says that she is probably from a small village that hardly anyone has ever heard of. I suppose he could be right, but why would such a small village speak a different language than everyone else? This is very strange…

I do wish she could speak Westron. She looks about my age, and I dearly miss talking to someone that is still in her/his tweens. Merry is close to me, yes, but… It isn't the same. Being the youngest on this trip makes me feel inexperienced and a nuisance to everyone. Maybe I shouldn't have come with Frodo after all.

Whenever I tell Frodo this he laughs and tousles my hair.

"Pip, I'm veryglad you have come with me; if it weren't for you, this whole journey would be one long, dull, dreary day after another." He tells me over and over again. I'm still not so sure.

I sneak a glance up at Lilka. Even though she is as young as me, maybe a bit younger, she is already much taller than me. Her clothes are the strangest I've ever seen! Her shirt is like a cloak, but with only the hood, and her pants are made of some sort of faded blue materiel. The strangest thing about her is her teeth. I find myself staring at them all them time whenever she opens her mouth! They have medal and wires on them!! And colors, too! How could someone put medal on one's teeth? Can you take it off?

She looks at me questioningly as I am staring at her and I quickly look away in embarrassment. She grins and sticks her hands in the pockets of the cloak/shirt.

It's obvious she's never traveled before, sometimes she stumbles over stones and roots that are clearly visible, and she always is trying to invent new signs with her hands to show us that she wants to stop to rest. Then Strider has to keep trying to tell her that we have to go on. I can tell she is getting annoyed with him.

"Merry." I say as I poke him in the ribs.

"What?"

"What do you think those are… on her teeth?"

Merry snorts. "You've asked me that already, Pip. It must be some sort of…..Device.

"Device?" I ask him, slightly confused. He didn't tell me that last time.

"Yes, of course. It's obviously something to hold her teeth together so they won't fall off." Merry replies proudly.

I hear a snort of laughter from Sam, and Frodo chuckling a bit. Merry looks bewildered.

"What?! It's true!"

This only causes the whole company (except Lilka, who only gives us bewildered looks) to laugh uncontrollably. Merry only crosses his arms and scowls.

"Now, now, cousin, sometimes we all have strange ideas." I laugh as I clap him on the shoulder.

Merry gives a snort of annoyance and walks ahead of me, but not before I hear him trying to keep his laughter back as well.


Lilka's POV:

The ground is starting to become more solid and easier to walk on. The mosquitoes are also disappearing, which is very good. Maybe we can get out of this swamp before we stop. I am dead tired, I want to stop now, but the sun just setting in the sky, and judging how things went last time, I won't be going to bed for a couple more hours.


Finally. I think to myself. We are out!

. I think to myself.

The swamp land is gone! I'm so glad. No more mosquitoes. No more nasty water stuff. Good.

I look up and as I hear water. It sounds like a stream or something. As we walk on, I see it. I feel my face falling. I hoped that maybe I could possibly take a bath in this stream. It's only a tiny trickle of water. I sigh in frustration, I smell absolutely horrible, and that's not a good thing, now guys, for instance, would be proud of it. But me? No way. The swamp was the worst thing; the smell of it still sticks to my clothes and everyone else's, for that matter. And my hair, oh my hair, it is the most matted and disgusting I've ever seen it. I've tried numerous times to run my hand through it, but I can't; it's too tangled.

My face is a whole different story; I've never had it this dirty before, or greasy. I can just imagine the zits that will pop up soon. Oh, this sucks. This sucks so bad.

I can feel tears filling my eyes. Why am I here? I feel so frustrated and confused. I choke back a sob, and stumble a bit. Stop, crying, Lilka, stop it. You're acting like a little kid! I think, but that doesn't help the fast falling tears running down my face to stop. What am I to do? What am I to do? I moan and shake my head.

Strider, Merry, Sam and Frodo are too far away to notice me… Good. I don't want anyone to see me.

"Lilka?" A soft voice startles me and I look down. Pippin is tugging at my shirt.

"What do you want?" I say, a bit annoyed, hastily wiping tears away from my eyes.

Pippin ignores the tone in my voice and says something in his language, and then takes my hand and pats it. As though to comfort me. He doesn't let go of my hand as he encourages me on, to follow Strider. I cling to his small hand, needing desperately his cheerfulness and kindness.


Strider finally stops and everyone starts to set up camp by the stream, everyone except for Pippin and I. We sit down together and Pippin smiles at me and seems to ask me something.

"What is it?" I ask.

Pippin points at the water flowing and says something again.

What does he want me to do?

"It's just water." I say.

"Nîn." He says again.

I feel my forehead wrinkle up in confusion. I think for a minuet, then realization dawns on me. Could he want me to learn his language? Maybe… just maybe…

"Water. Nîn." I say, pointing at the water, too.

Pippin nods eagerly. So he does want me to! I feel a sense of belonging and grin at him.

Pippin grins back and points at a small rabbit across the stream.

"Tapuk." He says.

Tapuk must be rabbit in his language.

"Rabbit, tapuk." I reply, getting a bit excited. Maybe, just maybe, this could work out!

"More!" I exclaim. I point to my backpack. "Backpack."

Pippins face showed confusion for a moment, but then he brightened.

"Laban."

"Laban…" I repeat.

"Raza." Pippin says pointing to me.

What could raza mean? I suppose it might mean a girl, or woman, or maybe human. I shrug at this one, and Pippin suggests more words.

After awhile, Frodo joins in to help me, and soon Sam, then Merry, and then Strider. Soon I feel my head spinning from all the words being crammed in my head at once.

I dig around in my backpack until I find a pencil and an empty notebook. I write down all the words I can remember, then ask for Strider for another word to give me.

He just remains silent, staring at the pencil in my hand.

"What? It's just a pencil." I say.

He holds out his hand. I hand him the pencil and paper.

He studies the pencil, and then starts writing with it. All the midgets crowd around him and watch him in amazement. I stifle a laugh; who knew some people could be amazed at such a little thing as a pencil!

Strider hands me my notebook back and I nod my thanks.

I stare at what he just wrote. It was beautiful! This language he wrote in had flowing letters and little symbols above some of the letters. I can feel my jaw dropping and I trace the letters with my finger. I wish I know what it says.

After an hour more of writing down more of their language, Strider sends us all off to bed, and I fall asleep, at last feeling a sense of belonging.

AN: Um, I hope you guys liked this one. btw, there is NO romance between Pip and Lilka. He's just helping her, so don't even think about it! /imagines Lilka in wedding dress and Pip in tux, standing in a church getting married lol, Oh, and the Westron words that Pip used; I believe that they are real Westron. I found them on the internet though, so I can't be to sure. Let me know if I'm wrong! Until next chapter! :D