I am very sorry for how long it took for this to come out. My life got a little crazy, with school and work. Not to mention the period where I debated on what I wanted to happen. I will be posting the next chapter tomorrow, as an apology. I also promise chapters will come out weekly after tomorrow's. Sorry this chapter is sort of a filler/intro but it needs to happen for the plot to progress.

Also, This story does not follow the story line of the books/movies. I plan for it to be a side adventure for the fellowship to go on. So, this should explain any confusion because of where they are (mentioned later in the chapter). One last thing, Boromir is not a part of the fellowship at this moment, even though he ought to be in the story line.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Lord of the Rings besides my own OCs. (And Nahor, the village).

The horses' hooves pounded through the forest for a few hours. At first, I was amazed that the horses kept their steady footing, as the forest was crammed with roots,bushes, holes, and vines on its floor. After a while, the trees started to thin, and led out into a sloping valley, it even had a little creek running on the east side of it. Once the trees thinned out completely, I noticed another group of horses that seemed to be waiting for us. And I turned out to be right, because our small group slowed and stopped before them.

"It is good to see you survived the ambush." Said a man who was sharing a horse with a stouter man with a curly beard. The man who had spoken sounded strangely familiar. Wait, was he the other guy Gandalf and Strider were talking to when they were debating on who I was? What was his name...Lego...Legolas? Yeah that's it. I smiled, proud that I had deduced this.

"Thank you, and I am glad that you made it out as well. But we can't stay here for long, we must go. Surely those goblins will be on our trail by nightfall." Gandalf said.

So our little group joined with theirs. I noticed that behind Legolas's horse, there were four smaller ponies with boys on them. Their appearance didn't seem to me like they were children though, as I had first thought. They all appeared as if they were adults. Great, I thought, something else to think about. Our group continued to ride for another hour or two in silence as we made our way down into the valley.

"Can't we at least have some supper?" One of the men on the ponies asked. He had sandy brown, curly hair and brown eyes.

"This is hardly the time for food!" Gandalf told him sternly. After seeing the looks on the others faces, he sighed, "Alright, I suppose we could stop for a quick meal."

So we all dismounted and started doing various tasks like gathering wood, setting up canvas tents, caring for the horses. Every person seemed to have a job and I felt unsettled because I didn't have one. I really should try to help at least, I mean they did save my life and all.

"Is there anything I can help with?" I asked to no one in particular.

No one responded, so I just sat down and tried to figure out the situation better. I still had no idea why Tommy had sent us here, but the people I'd met seemed vaguely familiar. There was also the problem of where my sister was, she could be anywhere. And from what I'd seen this world was pretty large, and she could be anywhere in it. Great, just one more thing to worry about. It didn't take too long for the camp to be set up, and soon the smell of roasting meat wafted through the air.
"So..."I started, everyone looked over at me, "let me get this straight. We just ran away from a bunch of...golbin things and now we are just going to sit down and eat? I mean, those things were pretty fast, don't you think they'll catch up to us?"

"For one, we could probably fend them off if we needed to get away. Two, they don't usually follow very far, that's the orcs' job. And three, its a little too late to keep riding, I don't know about you but I am tired, and so are the horses." One of the guys said, he had curly blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Ahh, so I'm Jemma." I said to all of them, might as well get the introductions out of the way.

"I'm Pippin."the sandy haired guy told me cheerfully.

"Merry" replied a man who looked like Pippin, except he had a lighter shade of blonde hair.

"Sam" said the blonde curly-haired one. I looked curiously at the other two who had stayed silent. One was stout with a braided beard and had an axe on his scabbard. They seemed to be absorbed in a conversation with each other. I shrugged and looked at the fire, and watched the flames dance with each other. There was a sudden silence and everyone in the group perked up. The howling of wolves, at least I hoped they were wolves, came from off in the distance. It seemed that we all deemed the animals too far away to be of concern at the same time, as sighs of relief came from everyone. Well, everyone except for Legolas, who seemed quite comfortable out here in the wilderness.

I helped with cleaning up the pots and bowls after everyone was done eating. It was good to actually have a job to do. When those were taken care of, I settled back down in front of the fire.

"Jemma," Gandalf started, "I assume your injuries have healed well? Good, I was hoping that you could tell us more about you. Your arrival is still a mystery, as well as why you were in the middle of that battle field."

"It's kind of a long story," I said softly, hoping to avoid any explanations, since I hadn't sorted out the answers myself. Everyones eyes were already watching me though, and I sighed, "Alright. I suppose the best place to start is my brother. He's...very intelligent and he works for our city," I stretched the truth, only because I wasn't sure what to explain about where I was from, "He helps to improve buildings and defenses. Well, he sold a valuable piece of equipment to a merchant who lives near here by accident, and he asked me to try and get it back. I came with my sister, and we got separated, after which I can't remember much. I don't know why I was out there on that battlefield, otherwise I would tell you. All I can do is assure you that I mean no harm to any of you, or anyone for that matter. My task is to get that equipment back and my sister. After all, I did promise to protect her at any costs. Then we will leave your land."

They all nodded once I'd finished. I wasn't sure if they completely understood, but it was the best I could offer without giving too much away.

"It's good to see family sticking up for one another in this time of war." Strider said.

"Can you tell me more about this? Well, we don't hear of the happenings of this land very often. When we travel here, we hope that it is during a peaceful time." I lied, and hated myself for it. This group seemed like good, trustworthy people. I resolved to tell them the whole truth if I decided they could handle it.

"I am sorry to say that your trip has been planned at the worst possible time. The goblins and orcs are getting restless, and rumors of a great evil has been rising up in the land of Mordor." Strider's voice was grim.

"Oh. But I can't abandon my task now, its too important."

"I understand, do you know what city you are traveling to?" Gandalf asked.

"I could show you on a map, but I'm afraid my memory escapes me."

Strider nodded, and went to his saddle bags. He rummaged around and came back with a folded piece of parchment. I helped him unfold it and stared at the map, something seemed very familiar about it. Mordor, Gondor, Rohan? Why do I feel I know these? I pointed to a town called "Nahor" which was located above a spot called Wold.

"I need to go there."

"Well, we are here," Gandalf pointed to a spot just outside a forest named 'Lorien'.

"We are headed in the same direction, perhaps it would be a good idea to travel together? These are dangerous lands these days." Strider commented.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to burden you. Besides, a group like you? I assume you are also on a quest? And don't worry, I can definitely handle myself." They didn't look as convinced as I'd hoped.

"Just give it some thought tonight, and tomorrow you can tell us your final decision." Gandalf told me. I shrugged, that was probably the best I was going to get.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beat." Pippin yawned and crawled into a nearby bedroll. Everyone, except for Strider, who was on the first watch, did likewise.

Strider gestured to his bedroll, "You can use mine, besides I can rest in Legolas's when he relieves me from the watch."

"Thank you." I told him. I didn't realise how tired I was until I laid down and closed my eyes.