Chapter Two
A/N: Apparently this one is better than my last insertion, because the story has only been up for a bit, and I've already got a review! YAY
Reviews:
Duilin: Thank you! You don't know how much it means for my first review to be within the same day I posted! And thanks for your support! I think the general consensus is that this is the better of my two insertions. :) Thank you so much!
Jovie Black: Thank You! I'll try to update as often as I can!
Hungry Hobbitses: Thank you for the advice! I think I am going to keep the story swear-free. I'm not comfortable with swearing in stories anyways, so it's a good idea for me. :) And I try very hard not to make my characters Mary-Sue, it's just that sometimes I slip in and out. So please, if ever I make any of my characters Mary-Sue, please point it out to me, and I'll try to fix it. :)
Metoochocolate: Well, that's in this chapter! :) You'll find out soon enough. Oh, I plan on having a lot of fun with the middle-earthians and the twins. Especially Elladan and Elrohir. :) It should be awesome!
Edward de Lioncourt: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!
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Caroline woke in a very soft, cushy bed. It wasn't hers, that much she was sure of. Hers was somewhat firm, but the bed she was on now was so soft, she could have been floating on air.
Slowly, one at a time, she opened her eyes. There was sunlight streaming in through the two arched windows on her wall. Both windows went floor to ceiling, and in between them was a door that led onto a balcony.
A door was set into the wall directly across from Caroline, the one next to the wall with the balcony. Also along the wall was a wardrobe, and a floor length mirror that was tall and oval.
" Ah! She's awake!" Caroline heard from her left. With great effort she turned her head, and saw a man (at least, she assumed it was a man) with very long hair. He had an air of importance about him, and had a small silver circlet on his head. He wore long, deep purple robes. This in and of itself said royalty, but then he introduced himself and confirmed Caroline's suspicions.
" I am Lord Elrond of Rivendell, where we currently are." His slight smile managed to set Caroline a little bit at ease, but she still felt uncomfortable. Then she realized what he had actually said.
" WHAT?" Caroline shrieked, attempting to sit up. She pressed her hand against her forehead, a splitting headache forcing her back into the pillows.
" Ah, yes, here, drink this. It should help with the headache." Caroline took the mug gratefully and took a sip of the concoction. She grimaced at the taste, but felt the headache receding. She drained the cup and handed it back to Elrond. Imagine, the real Elrond ( or a dang good imposter) sitting right across from her!
" My sons found you while they were out on their patrol. They brought you here unconscious, and though you weren't physically ailed, I could sense that you were physically worn from something, so I let you stay here to recover." Elrond said, thinking that she needed an explanation as to why she had woken up in a strange place.
"No-no-no-no-no, you don't understand, your ELROND. The Lord of Rivendell! Your a FICTIONAL character. You aren't REAL. So if I'm sitting here, talking to you, I'm either insane, or dead!" Caroline thought about how physiqued Charlotte would be when Caroline told her about this.
Caroline felt fear take over as she realized something.
" W-w-where is my sister?" She said, starting to look around with a panicked expression. Over the course of their lives her Charlotte and Caroline had only been apart for short periods of time. Caroline didn't know what she would do if she had been permanently seperated from her sister.
" We only found you. I'm not sure who your sister is, but she wasn't with you when we found you. I don't know where she is." Said Lord Elrond, with an expression of regret. Caroline felt like the world was crashing down around her.
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Charlotte woke with five faces looking down at her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she registered four hobbits staring at her. She immediately sat bolt upright.
" Miss? Are you alright?" Charlotte looked over at the little hobbit that had spoken, identifying as Pippin. Then she remembered where she was, and almost started hyperventilating. Lord of the Rings. She was in LORD OF THE FREAKING RINGS!
Charlotte took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down. Judging by the fact that it was only Aragorn and the four hobbits that she had run into, they were headed for Rivendell. Rivendell was always Caroline's favor-
She cut her own thought off as panic once again consumed her. Where was Caroline? She looked around desperately, trying to find the sister that she had never been separated from.
"Did you find me with someone else? Another girl?" She asked the hobbits frantically, her eyes wide.
" No Ma'am." Said the little ginger that Charlotte recognized as Sam.
" You need to calm down. You look like you might faint any minute now." Strider (as was his name at this point at least) said, a slightly concerned, more than slightly suspicious look on his face. Charlotte couldn't really blame him. If she had been leading the hobbits and had come across a random person in the middle of a field, she would be more than a little suspicious too. But then her mind was once again over run with the enormity of her situation, and she became nigh-on incoherent again.
" Miss, what's your name?" Asked the one that Charlotte guessed would be Merry.
" Ch-ch-ch-charlotte," She stammered out. She was having what she believed was called 'culture shock'.
" Well, Miss Charlotte, it's very nice to meet you." Said Sam, with a cute little grin that incited a smile from Charlotte as well.
" Where are you from, Lady Charlotte?" Asked Strider. Charlotte read between the lines and answered with.
" Far, far away. I..." She faltered, not really sure what to say, or whether or not Aragorn would believe her. She knew that if she told them, they would think that she was insane.
" You've probably never been there," said Charlotte, struck by a sudden inspiration. " It's very, very far North. It's a place called America. I lived in a state called California."
The hobbits looked interested, and she saw Strider/Aragorn relax as he fit the pieces together. She dressed strangely, she talked in an unusual manner. It all made sense that she had come from a far away country.
" Why were you so afraid, Lady Charlotte?" This was where Charlotte frowned. She felt tears prick her eyes as she remembered Caroline, and the fact that her twin was not with her.
" Because I don't know how I got here. I just woke up back there, where you found me." She said quietly. It was the truth, after all.
Aragorn looked at her with suspicion, obviously not believing her, but then he saw the silent tears that trailed their way down her face. There was a sadness in her eyes that no actor or spy, no matter how good, could replicate. This was the pain of a person who had just lost everything.
"We found this a little ways away from where you were. Is it yours?" Asked Strider, as he brought out a bag. It was a dark green, and Charlotte recognized it as her messenger bag that she used for all of her school things.
" Yes, it is. But why would it be here?" She asked curiously, taking the bag from Strider with a nod of thanks, and opening it curiously. She was met with...
"Empty." She said, with evident disappointment. The hobbits gave her sad little smiles, and she mustered up as much of a grin as she could.
" It's alright Miss Charlotte! We'll take good care of you! We're going to see the elves, and I'm sure that someone there can help you." Said Pippin cheerfully, taking her arm and pulling her to her feet. Or more like, encouraging her to get to her feet, seeing as if he actually tried to pull her to her feet, it would be more than a little disastrous.
Charlotte noticed that Aragorn never took his eyes off of her. Evidently he was still suspicious of her. Charlotte decided that for now, the best choice of action would be to be as friendly as she could, and try to get him to trust her. Because right now, he was her only hope in finding a way home.
Strider then decided that they should make a camp on Charlotte's account, despite her multiple attempts to tell him that she was fine. The hobbits told her that they were more than happy for the break, and that it was fine with them if the stopped. She meekly sat down, and watched as Sam started making a fire and cooking.
Charlotte found herself wishing that she had her Ipod with her, simply because all of her Lord of the Rings stuff was on there, and she wanted to refresh her memory on some bits. All of the sudden the bag on her hip got heavier.
Curious, but knowing that the possibilities of a change were minimal, Charlotte opened the bag. To her utter astonishment, there sat her IPod Touch, with the headphones curled around it, just as she had left it in her world. She let out a small squeak of surprise, which drew the attention of the others in the camp.
She pulled out the IPod, and pressed the power button, praying that it would work. It did. She let out a small laugh.
" Miss Charlotte?" Asked Pippin. She looked up at him with a gleeful expression.
" Look into this bag and tell me what you see. Is there anything in it?" She asked him. Looking slightly taken aback, he looked into the bag.
"It's empty, Miss." He said, wondering what she was getting at. She gave a small laugh, and then reached her hand into the bag, wishing for a bag of Jolly Ranchers. She pulled her hand out with the desired item. She heard Aragorn's sharp intake of breath, and the hobbits ooh's and ah's.
" Magic!" Merry exclaimed, looking at the bag in wonder. Strider looked at the bag with a curious, and slightly suspicious expression.
Charlotte ripped open the bag, unwrapped a blue Jolly Rancher, and popped it in her mouth. She grinned, enjoying the taste. They had always been her favorite candy. Then she chucked one at Pippin.
" Try it!" She said, giving him a grin. Pippin looked hesitant, looking at the small pink candy in his hand. He unwrapped it, and then put it slowly into his mouth. His eyes practically bugged out as it touched his tongue.
" You have to try this!" He said to the other hobbits, looking at the bag of candies like it was the most wonderful thing he had seen in his life. Charlotte grinned and tossed each of the hobbits a Jolly Rancher. One by one a look of joy came over all of their faces.
" Strider, you must try one!" Said Sam, always the one to spread the love. At first it looked like Strider was going to refuse, but then all of the hobbits started telling him how wonderful it was all at once, and practically press-ganged him into it.
Smirking, Charlotte tossed a green apple to Strider. He hesitantly unwrapped it, and then put it into his mouth. His face screwed up at the sour taste, but then as he got used to it, he started looking like he was actually enjoying it.
"Like it?" Charlotte asked, a laugh in her voice. Strider nodded, and all of the hobbits voiced their thanks in loud, happy voices.
Charlotte thought, if the rest of the trip is like this, maybe it won't be too bad.
Charlotte came to find that giving the Hobbits sugar was one of the worst mistakes she had ever made in her life. The were buzzing around, talking like chipmunks on helium, and constantly asking Charlotte for more Jolly Ranchers. She finally cut them off, and they pouted for about a minute before they started crashing. One by one, the energy left them, and they curled up on the ground and fell asleep.
" Ah, the beauty of a sugar crash." Said Charlotte, laughing at the sight of all four hobbits piled next to the fire, snoring.
" I take it this is normal, than?" Strider asked, looking bemusedly at the hobbits. Charlotte just nodded, hiding a yawn behind her hand. She reached into her bag and pulled out a sleeping bag, unrolled it, and snuggled down into it.
" Goodnight!" She called to Aragorn. He just grinned, and then started his long night of watching, and waiting for the distant horizon to blush with the light of a pale Autumn morn.
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Again, thanks so much for all of the support, it really is wonderful! And tell me what you think! Please feel free to tell me if the girls are too Mary-Sue, cause that's my main fear for this story.
:) Thanks for reading, review!