Author's Note: See? I told you I would update. You should thank my mom; she happens to like this story and has decided to worry me until I agree to update daily. My only concern about updating is missing errors (and words!) when I reread these chapters for editing purposes. Hopefully I'll find a beta reader soon. By the way, special thanks to anticipationnation, who was able to point out an error that I didn't catch (I corrected a couple this morning after reading the story over again).

There are a couple of things I need to mention before I go any further:

1.) In case you were wondering, the "Pathway of the Inner Beyond" is a gateway. What kind of gateway? I can't say, not yet anyway. Time in the pathway is different from time outside of the pathway. That's why Edith didn't show up in the pond where Melody landed until nearly a half a day later.

2.) I like Eric Bana, and the only reason I had her name her horse after him was because of a discussion that took place in the first chapter. Did anyone get that joke?

3.) In this chapter, Edith is going to encounter someone who speaks a different language. That language is in bold italic print. Okay?

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's get back to the story, shall we?

+ CMCB

Disclaimer: Tolkien owns his characters and universe. I'm still just borrowing.

Part I, Chapter 4: The Rescue, the Scar, the Traveler, and the Foolish Girl

Edith's head swirled with visions, both of things she longed to see and things she dreaded. She must have fainted. How else could she have passed from what was clearly consciousness to this dream-like state?

She saw her daughter, Lynda, holding a beautiful baby girl in her arms. That image faded into a new one, one of her simple country house, with her teal vase sitting in the window. Her husband Elias had bought that vase for her two weeks before he died. He had even picked daisies for her. She missed him so much.

Then, dark thoughts and memories crept into her mind. That awful pond, hurting her arm, and being unable to find Melody, the wolf-beasts. Those horrible monsters! She could hear their growls, their wretched howling. She had to get out of that place. She didn't want to see those things.

Edith strained herself back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered briefly, and then slowly opened. Above her, there was a shadowy figure. Someone was crotched down beside her, but she could not see his face. The person was handling her arm, the injured one. For some reason, she felt no pain. The man seemed to be carving something into her flesh…

Alarmed, Edith bolted upright. But now, completely conscious, she could see only trees. It was morning, and there was no one at her side. No one was carving anything her arm. She was alone.

Slightly flustered, Edith tried moving her arm and found that it felt fine. Turning it and looking it over, she was immensely relieved that it hadn't been broken. It was when she examined her wrist that she noticed a small scar. The crescent-shaped mark was just below her wrist and faced the palm of her hand. She touched it gingerly. Perhaps she'd cut herself. Between the fall and those werewolves, it seemed…

Edith gasped. The wolves! She looked around. What happened to them? There more than twenty bloodthirsty beasts surrounding her last night, and this morning, they were gone. It was if nothing had happened.

Edith rose slowly to her feet, noting that her dress was stained with dried dirt, smelled of muddy pond water, and was torn in front. 'No,' she thought, hugging her frail body with tired limbs, 'It happened. But how am I alive?'

"Good, you have awakened."

Edith jumped, nearly stumbling back to the ground. "Goodness!" She exclaimed. When she saw that what had startled her was human, she sighed, relieved that she wasn't alone. Maybe this person could help her.

"I'm so sorry, I guess I'm just a little shaken."

The man was tall, almost six feet in height, with a slight build. His hair was a deep reddish brown and shoulder-length, and he was clean-shaven, but he had a roughness to his look that suggested he had been traveling for quite some time.

Folding his arms over his chest, the man gave Edith a very confused look.

"I am sorry…could you please say that once more? I did not…"

Now it was Edith's turn to be confused. What on Earth was this man saying? It was like no language she had ever heard. It felt familiar but the pronunciation was off. Was it old English? No, the words didn't even sound European. But where else could he be from?

"Sir, I don't understand what you are saying. Do you speak English? French, maybe? I know a little French."

He shook his head slowly. Edith knew this gesture meant he didn't understand a word of what she had said. She scratched her head, which was, to her horror, stiff with dried mud.

"Do you speak English?" She put a finger to her mouth and said, "Speak." She gestured repeatedly until the man finally understood what she meant.

"Speak," he said slowly. "Speak…Speak...Yes?"

Edith nodded. Maybe she was getting somewhere.

She put her hand to her lips, and said, "speak…English?" She moved her hand from her lips, and tried to gesture the equivalent of words leaving the mouth. She repeated this gesture, saying slowly, "I…speak, English." She pointed at him, "You…understand…me?" She pointed back at herself.

The man didn't respond right way, as it was apparent that he was trying to understand what she was saying.

"Speak…English…" English? He thought about it. Was this her name? But if so, why mention anything about speaking? It seemed that her name would be enough. Then it occurred to him. Perhaps this was her language. She wanted to know about the language he was speaking.

He repeated her gesture back to her, saying, "Speak…Adûni….Sôval Phârë?"(1)

"Huh? I… no." She shook her head. It was painfully obvious that these two couldn't communicate. Edith, wrung her hands desperately.

"Oh God…it there was only-"

"Yes, your words...I understood them!"

Edith stopped rubbing her hands together.

"I understood that!"

The man frowned.

"What?"

Edith frowned, holding her hands together, "Well I don't know that word."

The man blinked. He understood her again. He looked down at her arms.

She when she stopped touching them together, she sounded strange, but when they were together, he understood her. This was very peculiar.

He reached for her hands. Edith hesitated for a moment, but didn't fight him. She watched him take her hands and bring them together slowly.

"Do you understand me?" The words were spoken in a thick accent, similar to those found in Northern Europe. It didn't matter. Edith understood.

He brought her hands apart slowly.

"Do you understand me?"

Edith shook her head.

The man brought her hands back together, wrist to wrist.

"You will want to keep your hands like this," he said with a chuckle, "You make no sense with them apart."

He released her hands, and Edith lowered them, carefully to keep the wrists touching. It wasn't going to be very easy trying to keep them that way.

"That's…very strange. But I am so glad I can understand you. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to thank you for saving me!"

"Saving you?"

"Yes. From the wolves."

"You'll have to hold your thanks a while longer. It was not I who saved you."

"But…"

Edith glanced at the around them.

"Who?"

"It was a small group of travelers. A very unusual group, if I do say so myself. Men, an elf, a dwarf, and children with them. These travelers did not say much, in fact, only the eldest of them spoke. He asked that I see you to the nearest town or village. They said nothing of whom they were or why they would not take you themselves, and I would not ask. I have never seen a more grim fellowship of souls in all my life, and I was only happy to take you with me, just to be departed from them."

The man paused, smiling.

"I finally know what is that you are saying and have not thought even once to introduce myself. Forgive my rudeness. I am called Sedry."

Edith reached out and shook his hand, "I'm Edith, and it's very nice to meet you."

His confusion at her shaking his hand and at her words was apparent. Edith put her hands back together and repeated what she'd said so that he could understand her.

"Now that we know what to call one another, would you like me to escort you to your home? Surely a woman your age should not be wandering alone in these woods."

She turned and asked the man something she has been wondering since arriving in this having arrived in this frightening place.

"Where am I?"

But before he could answer, there was a meowing sound behind them.

"What was that?"

Edith knew. At least she hoped she did.

"Buffy? Buffy is that you? Here kitty, kitty, kitty!"

A few moments later, a very dirty tabby cat tumbled out of the bushes. The animal was clearly disoriented.

"Buffy!"

Buffy did not know what had happened to her; all she knew was that she hated water, hated mud, and that her tongue wasn't big or wet enough.

Edith picked up the cat, placing it affectionately over her shoulder. She was certain that Buffy was too tired to misbehave.

"Well now, I see you have found your pet." Buffy purred. Where there were humans, there was food.

"Well, it isn't my pet, it's…" Realization dawned on Edith. Melody. She still didn't know where she was, or even, if the girl was alive.

"Is something wrong, Edith?"

"My granddaughter. I have to find her. She can't be far from here."

"How would you describe her, your granddaughter?"

"Oh, well she's young, about fifteen. Yes, she is fifteen. I baked the cake myself, how could I forget that? Anyway, s-she's short. Shorter than I am, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Very chatty, so if you saw her she was probably talking. She loves to talk…"

Edith trailed off. The man silently took in what she was telling him. It was some time before he spoke again.

"I saw a girl," he said at last, "who appeared to be the way you are describing her. Only, she wasn't alone. She was on horseback and a man was leading her. Since I was and am heading west, to Bree, I would say that they were headed east. I do not know where they were going, or if it was even your granddaughter that I saw."

He stopped, as if himself considering closely what he was about to say. Finally, he went on.

"Would you like me to take you home, or do you wish to see if we can find these two travelers?"

Edith thought about it. She knew that there was no "home" here, but she wasn't certain whether or not she should go hunting for a pair of strangers, when one of them may not even be Melody.

"I…I want to find my granddaughter. I won't go home without her. Please, do you think you could help me?"

The man started to speak, but hesitated. He walked around Edith, heading over to a small brown sack that Edith hadn't noticed before.

"It would take me at least three days out of the way of my journey," he said as he closed the bag, "but I will not be able to sleep peacefully knowing that I have left you to wander alone or your grandchild to be potentially harmed."

He picked up the sack and swung it over his shoulder, and then turned back to Edith.

"Shall we be going? It may very well be a long trip."

Edith nodded, and followed behind him closely. She looked skyward, toward the twinkling sunlight.

'Melody, where are you?'

- - - - -

"I knew it! I knew I was destined to do something important!"

When everyone around her did nothing but stare, Melody cleared her throat and said, "I mean, I would be honored to take on this task. Frodo will face so many dangers, and I will gladly lend what knowledge I possess to see that the Ring is destroyed." Melody bowed low before the hobbit. "My knowledge and my life are yours, Frodo Baggins."

She hoped she was doing this correctly. Everyone seemed to be very dramatic in the movie, so she wanted to be as dramatic as possible.

"I thank you Melowaythin. You're heart is as golden as your beauty."

Melody giggled at Frodo's complement. She'd told them her name was Melowaythin because Melody probably would have sounded weird. Melowaythin sounded weird too, but it was cute when Frodo said it.

She caught the approving smile of Orlando, and was glad that she had impressed him. 'He is so kawaii!'

Later, after the council meeting had ended, she asked him if he too would be going on this amazing quest.

"I'm sure you could go. They're letting ME go, and I can't fight my way out of a wet paper bag. Come on! It'll be fun."

"I cannot accompany you, although Bana is your horse now and you can take him with you want to."

"But…where will you go?"

"I have to inform my…my master, that you have reached your destination safely. You are the chosen one. Much rides on your success."

"Um…don't you mean Frodo's success? He's the Ring-bearer. I'm just the prophetess lady…person."

"Of course."

Without warning, Orlando took Melody in his arms. Lowering his face until he was just barely brushing her lips with his own, he whispered, "You won't let us down, will you…milady?"

When Melody was finally able to remember what language it was she spoke, she answered, saying, "N-No…I…I won't."

"Good," He released her, visibly pleased. "Fare thee well, Melowaythin."

"Bye, Orlando! See you when we get back!"

After he was gone, Melody squealed. "Oh, he's so keeeeuuuuute! I can't believe I won't see him for almost a…how long is this trip anyway? I'll have to ask that old person when I see him again. What was his name? Gangalad? Ganduf?"

"He is Gandalf the Grey…"

Melody turned to face the man who was speaking, and nearly fell over.

"…and I am Legolas Thrandulion of Mirkwood." He smiled gently. "Have you any more questions, young one?"

"Um….yes. Pinch me?"

Author's End Note: And that brings part one of this story to a close. So…did you notice anything unusual in that chapter? If so, you'll have a whole four days to ponder it. As for me, I'm going on break. A short one anyway. I won't be able to update again until around Monday. Thanks for reviews and support, and I'm glad someone's still reading this. Also, don't be shy about pointing out errors, I need all the help I can get.

(1) Calling all Tolkien geeks! I was certain that "Westron" wasn't the actual term used to describe the common tongue, and those were the only results that I could find as far as terms for Westron (as the common tongue) in that language. If they are incorrect…what's the correct term(s)? And how does one sound them out?

That's all for now, thanks for reading!