The Departure & Many Meetings Re-Write
A/N – Erin here! 😊 It has been a long time since I have written anything and after brainstorming with Niori, I thought why not re-write the very first two chapters where it all started? Not to say as 13-year-olds we didn't have enough creativity, but we may have lacked in other areas. So, enjoy!
The morning sun beat down from the clear blue sky and shone through the trees, creating moving shadows that seemed to dance in a perfect rhythm. The fellowship had found a small clearing in the forest on the side of the road to rest for the night. Now, Frodo sat against a giant, sturdy tree, twirling an apple in his hands. He was deep in thought about how much his life had changed in such a short time. He was ready to take over Bag End and live a peaceful and quiet life in the Shire, but that had all changed in heartbeat, as he was whisked away from the only place he would ever call home.
Meanwhile, Aragorn sat nearby, examining his sword thoughtfully. Pippin let out a short snore and Merry rolled over to face him. "Something on your mind, little hobbit?" Aragorn asked, meeting eyes with Frodo across the way.
"I can't help but think of where all of this will lead me, lead us. It's been two days since we left Rivendell and I do wonder how much longer it will take to get to Mordor…" Frodo spoke, lowering his head slightly.
"Do not trouble yourself with these thoughts, Frodo. Think of it as a grand adventure. Bilbo would be quite proud," A voice answered, from somewhere in the trees.
Gandalf stepped out, leaning into his staff for support as he walked towards them. Aragorn nodded, "Gandalf is right, Frodo. And I think now is the time to get back on the road. We cannot delay".
Aragorn rose from where he was sitting and tapped on the heads of the remaining members of the fellowship who were still snoozing, "Time to be on our way!"
They all walked in silence for some time along a beaten path. Frodo felt a cool breeze on his face and smiled uncertainly. Gandalf was right, it's not about the time it takes, but about the adventure. He was beginning to feel more positive. "Everything alright, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, as he rushed to Frodo's side.
"Of course it is, Sam. We are on an adventure, don't you know?" He replied, smiling even wider.
Gandalf smirked and nodded at the exchange. It would be a long, hard journey, but it was the only chance any of them had of setting things right.
The day wore on and the sun began to set. The fellowship continued to march on through the windy trail until Legolas stiffened suddenly. He put his hand on his bow and stopped dead in his tracks. "Everyone, quiet," Aragorn commanded.
"What is it?" Pippin asked, in a panicky voice.
"SHHH! Quiet, Pip," Merry hushed.
A few moments passed and everything was quiet. Gimli stepped up next to Legolas, hand on his belt, "These trees are full of secrets, we must stay vigilant".
Aragorn nodded, "All is well, but let us find a place to rest for the evening".
The rest of the fellowship nodded in agreement. Sam let out a sigh of relief; he was tired from the long trek and could not stop thinking about a nice hot bowl of rabbit stew. He immediately got to work preparing a fire. Grabbing a pot out of his small backpack, he headed towards a small stream nearby to fill it with water. He didn't have any rabbit, but he did have a couple of potatoes and figured he could boil them.
Sam reached down to the water with his pot, when he heard the sound of birds in the distance. He stood up and looked into the sky. There were ravens, hundreds of them, flying at top speed towards him. In the center of the flock, a very large, black crow seemed to be directing them. It carried a big, glass bottle in its beak.
This startled Sam, and he dropped his pot abruptly. He turned and ran back for the camp, shouting as he went, "Birds! Hundreds of them! They look like they are going to attack!"
Legolas, Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli had all already observed the threat and were standing close together, ready to take them down if necessary. The birds swarmed around them and Legolas began to shoot arrows in all directions. Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords, swinging them wildly to ward off as many ravens as they could.
The hobbits stood nearby, huddled together. Frodo stared at the giant crow, who sat nearby with the glass bottle still in its beak. "There!" He pointed.
Legolas turned and upon spotting the crow, shot an arrow straight for the bottle. In an instant, there was a huge explosion of light. The members of the fellowship were swept away and plopped down suddenly. Several of them fell, while others leaned against a hard surface. The light had faded and left them in complete darkness.
Carla waited impatiently in her room. Her parents had left for the week and her cousin, Niori, was staying with her to keep her company. It was the first time they decided to leave Carla alone for this length of time and they had warned her to be on her best behavior. "I'm 17! I can take care of myself! Besides, Niori and I will probably just be out practicing with our bows the whole time anyway," Carla exclaimed to her parents before they left.
Niori and Carla's other two best friends, Erin and Jane were on their way over to visit but were already late. Carla wandered into the family room, where Niori sat at a computer desk. She was chatting away with her other friends when Carla approached her, "Where are those two?" She asked, grumpily, "They're always late!"
"You know them, they probably stopped for snacks on the way here. I'm sure they will be here any minute," Niori responded, not looking away from the computer.
She was researching swordsmanship and archery, hobbies she had taken on this year with Carla. They were both very athletic and enjoyed taking out their teenage angst on every target they could find. In fact, Carla kept a bow on her back most of the time, ready to use at any moment.
Carla shook her head, letting her brown ponytail sway behind her. She crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh. Her brown eyes shone with impatience. There was a knock at the front door and a moment later, it swung open. "We're hereeeee!" Erin shouted through the doorway.
Niori got up from the computer and started to walk towards the door, smiling. She was tall and hovered over Carla. Her medium-length, dirty blonde hair was curled slightly, effortlessly. Her blue eyes widened with excitement, "Hey, you two! You made it!"
Erin walked through the door, with a huge smile on her face. Her long blonde hair rustled slightly in the breeze, "Sorry, we're late. We stopped for snacks!"
There was a pause. Niori looked at Carla, and Carla glanced back. They both burst out laughing. Confusion showed in Erin's blue-gray eyes. Another head poked in through the doorway, dirty blonde curls flowing, "What's so funny?" It was Jane.
"I called it!" Niori laughed.
Erin smiled and started to giggle as well. She could be a bit of a diva at times, but honestly, they all could be. That's why they were best friends, afterall! "What have you two been up to?" Jane asked, stepping through the doorway into the room.
"Well, Niori was just on the computer as always. That's all she ever does now you know, she's constantly chatting on MSN. Talking to all her friends because she's sooo popular now!" Carla mocked, scowling again.
Niori turned towards Carla, angry and ready to object, but there was a huge boom. The house shook and the girls all dropped to their knees, covering their heads. Carla drew her bow, looking around wildly. "What in the HELL was that?!" Niori shouted.
The other girls shook their heads. Carla put her fingers to her lips to shush her. There was loud banging and rustling noises coming from Carla's room, along with some muffled voices. Carla motioned for everyone to follow her and started quietly tiptoeing to her room, bow still drawn. The door to her closet was vibrating and moving on its hinges. There was something in there for sure. Niori moved ahead, took a deep breath, and held it as she reached for the doorknob.
Suddenly, the door exploded open and the fellowship fell out in a jumbled mess. The girls froze and their jaws dropped as they watched the members of the fellowship rise to their feet. The nine members realized they weren't alone, grabbed their weapons and stood, ready to attack at any moment. "Okay, no one move! Please, don't kill anyone," Niori pleaded, her hands up in the air.
"Is…. Is that Frodo?" Erin stuttered, her whole face going flushed.
"Legolas, Aragorn, how?! HOW!?" Jane sputtered, shaking her head.
Carla finally lowered her bow and sighed, "Okay. Everyone remain calm and follow me to the living room".
They gathered in the living room and Carla was just about to speak when there was a knock at the front door. "SHIT!" Erin exclaimed, "Quick! We have to hide them. Everyone take two, and someone take three! Get them out of this area, hurry!"
Carla dragged Legolas and Gimli down to her room, Jane moved Aragorn and Boromir to the family room, and Niori just about picked up Merry and Pippin and brought them to the kitchen. Erin shooed Frodo and Sam to the basement and turned to them, "Don't say a word and stay right here!"
Jane turned towards Aragorn and Boromir, "Sit on the couch and don't move".
They looked at her with blank stares. Jane slapped her palm to her forward, realizing that they had no idea what a couch was, among everything. "Here," She patted the couch with her hand, "Take a seat".
They sat and stared at the big screen TV in front of them, in complete awe. "Now, don't move. I'll be right back".
Jane took off down the hall to the front door, making sure the coast was clear. Erin emerged from the basement, nodding her head in affirmation. There was a shout coming from the family room and Jane threw her hands in the air, "Why?!"
Erin shrugged and Jane took off to the family room again. As she entered, she saw Aragorn and Boromir standing around the computer, swords drawn. They were ready to attack. "STOP!" Jane yelled, rushing towards them.
"That creature.." Boromir spoke, trying to be calm, "It SPOKE to us. It said "Hello"".
Jane couldn't help but chuckle at this but the two men stared at her, almost angrily, and she immediately quelled her laughter, "That is no creature. In fact, it's not even alive. It's a computer".
"A.. com..poo..ter?" Aragorn tried to repeat.
Jane pursed her lips, trying not to laugh again, "That's right. I know you don't understand considering you're from… another time".
Boromir jerked his body towards her, "What did you just say? Where are we?"
"Well. First of all… Hi! I'm Jane. You're in Carla's house, she is one of the girls you met earlier. Somehow, you have managed to teleport yourselves… to the year 2003".
"2003!?" Aragorn yelled, frantic.
"SHHHH!" Jane warned, "It's fine. Everything is fine, really. We will figure this out. But for right now, I need you both to keep quiet and calm".
When the yelling finally died down, Erin took a deep breath and plastered a casual smile on her face. She opened the front door wide, expecting the worst. It wouldn't be shocking to see the police at the door after the explosion that just occurred. Erin let out a little sigh of relief when she saw that it was just the mail lady, "Oh hi there!" She said cheerfully.
Screams were heard from downstairs, "PUT THAT GOD DAMN BOW DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Carla yelled at the top of her lungs.
Erin cleared her throat and let out a little chuckle, "Sorry about that, babysitting. Kids are crazy these days".
The mail lady smiled awkwardly. There was shuffling from behind Erin and she turned to see Gandalf poking things on nearby shelves. "Damn it, we forgot about Gandalf," Erin thought, turning back to the mail lady.
"Is everything okay in there? Is he okay?" She pointed to Gandalf.
A vase toppled over and hit the floor with a thud, but somehow it stayed intact. Erin rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, that's grandpa. He's just got dementia; he gets a little confused. He likes to dress up like an old wizard sometimes, reminds him of his childhood…" She trailed off.
Another loud scream came from the basement. Frodo. "Well, it was nice chatting with you, bye!" Erin said quickly, starting to shut the door.
"But you forgot your package," The mail lady started to say, but the door swung shut in her face.
"We are seriously going to have the cops called on us before this day is over," Erin mumbled, running to the stairs.
She bounded down the steps and walked through the door to the basement to see Frodo nursing a bloody nose. "Frodo, what the hell did you do?!" Erin screamed.
"It.. it attacked me! I couldn't stop it!" Frodo pointed to a punching bag that was hanging from the ceiling.
"Hey, Mr. Frodo! The ham is on fire!" Sam exclaimed, as he swung around with a large chunk of ham on a fork. Evidently, he had decided it was a good idea to try to cook a ham over the wood stove in Carla's basement.
Erin rushed forward, grabbing the fork and throwing it in the fire, "Have you lost your damned mind? Are you trying to burn this house down? Don't you know the police are probably on their way already because of you all?" Erin yelled in frustration.
Frodo looked over at Sam and shrugged. Sam reached into his backpack and pulled out a piece of lembas bread, "Want some?" He offered to Erin.
Erin clenched her fists and shook her head, "Unbelievable", she muttered, "Okay. Let's put all of our things back into our bags and go upstairs so we can sit down and talk about what just happened here".
Sam and Frodo nodded in agreement and Erin sighed, "You know, I kind of didn't lie to that mail lady, I feel like I AM looking after toddlers right now".
The three started up the stairs to meet the others in the living room. It was the beginning of a new kind of adventure.