after

We had to move on. The day was dying and soon enough the cloak of night would cover us. Where would I go? How many roads until home with I take? Thoughts sped in and out of my head.

"So, did you do any convincing?" I asked Legolas, surely Aragorn didn't change his mind overnight.

"I may have talked a bit to him, reasoned." Legolas smiled.

"For an elf, I actually can tolerate you." I told him, climbing on top of Aleece.

"Is that a good thing?" He asked.

"Maybe." I told him.

"Will you not journey with us to find the halflings?" Aragorn asked me.

"Nah," I replied turning my horse around, "I think even after all this, I still have some growing up to do." And I sped away in glory of my last words.

My idea: secretly travel behind Merry and Pippin. Aleece was, thankfully for a horse, quiet. If I did that, I would have no chance to alter any further events.

I pitched the tent/shelter, if there's one thing my father ever did useful was teach me to pitch a tent. Of course, we don't technically have modern tents in Middle Earth but sticks and a tarp is close enough.

I sit by the fire, another thing I learned. "Sometimes making a fire is easier than putting one out." My mother told me, I didn't know how that made sense until now. Sometimes it's easier to start a journey than end one. That's when I pulled out this little journal-diary you're reading, I wrote what you just read and what you're about to read.

I sighed, look how far I've come. GOD ARE YOU WATCHING! Look! It's me! Ruth, that girl you decided would be 'fun' to send to Middle Earth. To rip her from her home! *Further words may be blotchy and hard to interpret* FROM EVERYONE SHE LOVED! You cruel sick b*blotched*rd. And God, I swear to you I won't become your pawn. I won't end up like you ENDED TELES!

My emotions… I think they're settling down. I just, my life is kind of a mess. Did they miss me back home? Or did they pretend I didn't exist? I look over to my weapon choices. A dagger-knife (not short enough for dagger nor long enough for knife) and a necklace that had no significant worth other than that my mother gave it to me, telling me one day I would learn to use it wisely.

That was the day before she left.

When she left I was only five at the time, the birds were chirping and the sun was shining. It was my birthday, mum always made pancakes on my birthday, so I went downstairs and expected pancakes. I didn't find pancakes.

Hermy (Herman, my brother) covered my mouth and directed me to where I heard screaming.

"-NEVER CARE!" My mother shouted.

"IF I DIDN'T CARE I WOULD LET YOU!" My father yelled back.

"IF YOU LOVED ME YOU WOULD!"

"I DO LOVE YOU!" My father screamed.

"GOD! SOMETIMES YOU CAN BE SUCH AN OVERPROTECTIVE BASTARD!" My mother never swore, being a teacher and all.

My eyes started to tear up and I was thinking, "why? Why are mommy and daddy fighting?" They were such a happy couple. Never yelled or fought. Now they are this.

"IF YOU WANT TO GO- than go." My father said, in an eerie silence.

"Maybe I will." My mother said. She came our way, and me and Hermy scrambled to make it seem like we heard nothing. "I'm just going out for a drive." She told us. "I'll be back soon." How long was soon? I began counting then.

1 hour, she never called. 1 day, she never opened our door. 1 week, she never rolled down the window of her car and gave us a signature smile. 1 month, she never cooked us homemade soup when one of us got sick. 1 year, she never came back. 1 decade, I stopped hoping.

I drifted off to sleep, I'll be back soon, her words echoed still in my mind. I should go home soon, my mind thought.

But how long was soon? I didn't bother counting.

I do not own Lord of the Rings! SO, for this chapter I used the emotional side of me that is someone walking out/not coming back of/in our life. My mom didn't come back and I think we all experience that at some point. Happy birthday to me! It's my 16th, and I have another chapter coming somewhere along 12:00 PM. STAY TUNED.