Wow! I have so many reviews! Okay, well, 8 isn't exactly a lot, but it's still awesome! Thanks to all of my reviewers: Glory Bee, Cretha Loesing, AuroraStarfire, Galad Estel, Enchanted Authoress, and SoccerGirl4Life30. I really appreciate your comments!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than my OC's, no matter how much I want to.

Chapter 5: Yrch!

Fern Anderson, Dana Johnston, and Denise Johnston were all crammed into the back of Mrs. Johnston's car, happily chatting about the movie they had just seen.

"Wasn't that awesome?" Dana asked, a grin stretched across her face.

"Absolutely!" her younger sister Denise replied. "My favorite part was the ending!"

"I liked the trailers they showed at the beginning of the movie," Fern remarked. "Did you see the trailer for The Fellowship of the Ring?"
Dana nodded her head. "Yeah. It looked pretty cool."
"I can't wait for it to come out!" Fern exclaimed. "I can't wait to see the Shire, Bree, the Ringwraiths, Rivendell…"

"Okay, okay, we get it!" Denise interrupted, smiling. "You're really excited for the movie."

Fern nodded her head. "Yep!"

"Here we are, girls," Mrs. Johnston stated, pulling into the driveway of the Johnston residence. The three girls happily clambered out of the car. Denise and Dana went to stand by their mom, while Fern skipped down to the sidewalk.

"Fern," Mrs. Johnston called, causing said girl to whirl around.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure about walking home? You know I could drive you there."

Fern shook her head. "It's fine. My house is only a few blocks away."

"Alright," Mrs. Johnston replied. "Bye, Fern. Stay safe."

"Bye!" Denise called.

"See you on Monday!" Dana added.

"Bye!" Fern happily began strolling down the sidewalk, thinking about The Lord of the Rings. It was her favorite book series in the whole wide world, and now it was being turned into a movie! "I am so excited for The Fellowship of the Ring!" she squealed joyfully to no one in particular.

Suddenly, a black-feathered arrow pierced the trunk of the tree in front of her. Fern stared at it, her bright green eyes as wide as saucers. The arrowhead was cruelly shaped, and the slight coloring of the tip could only mean that the arrow had been poisoned. It was unmistakable as to who made that dart. "But it can't be," Fern murmured. "They're just fiction."

A snarl in the bushes made her think otherwise. A swarm of foul creatures charged out of the brush. They were misshapen, covered in dirt and grime. Their skin was tinged a sickly color, but most of it was concealed with jagged black armor.

That was all Fern needed to see. With a jolt, she began sprinting down the sidewalk, her golden hair flying in the wind. As she ran, a word slipped unbidden from her lips.

"Yrch!"

~o*o*o*o~

Fern dashed into her house, slamming the front door behind her. But the orcs were relentless. The foul creatures stormed onto her porch, the loud clattering of weapons and armor audible through the walls.

Good thing mom's not home yet, Fern thought. The orcs were now battering and hammering on the door, and Fern did not doubt that they would break through. Quick as a flash, she scurried out of the back door of her house and into her backyard. She swiftly leapt over the fence and dove into the woodlands behind her house, tearing through the trees at breakneck speed. If one was watching her, one would see the emerald star pendant bouncing on her chest begin to glow. The necklace shone brighter and brighter, until a brilliant white light completely enveloped the young girl. A white flash illuminated the trees, and Fern was gone.

~o*o*o*o~

Legolas hurried to where he thought he had seen the white flash, his patrol group following. The Lord Elrond of Rivendell had alerted his father to their coming, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. It had only been a month since the message had come.

When the company of elves reached a clearing, they found Legolas's suspicions to be correct. A young girl lay on the grass, her flaxen hair fanning out beneath her. Upon her chest rested a six-pointed star pendant carved from a bright emerald.

The young girl's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Greetings," Legolas stated.

"Where am I?" she wondered aloud, scrambling into a sitting position.

"You are in Mirkwood, milady," Legolas informed her. "I am Legolas, son of Thranduil."

"You are Legolas?" she asked, mouth agape.

Legolas nodded. "What is your name?"

"I am Fern," she replied, hardly believing what she was seeing. Legolas, from The Lord of the Rings, was standing beside her. She was in Middle-Earth!

Suddenly, Fern stiffened, staring warily at the surrounding trees. "What is it?" Legolas inquired.

"There were orcs," Fern stated. "They were chasing me."

Legolas's eyes widened with worry. He then turned to one of the elves standing closest to him. "Lairion, inform my father," he ordered. "Another Elenmîr has arrived. They are being hunted."

Lairion nodded in understanding before speeding off towards the palace with a few other ellons. Legolas then turned back towards Fern. "Lady Fern, are you injured?"

Fern shook her head. "I am not hurt."

"Follow me, then, milady," Legolas instructed, holding out a hand. Fern gratefully accepted it and pulled herself to her feet.

"Thank you," she stated, pushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear. My ear…Fern felt it again. Yes, there was no doubt about it. Her ears were now pointed.

I'm an elf! Fern exclaimed to herself. It was at this moment that she realized her whole conversation with Legolas had been in Sindarin.

~o*o*o*o~

"Why is it that whenever I give you a task to capture something, you fail to return with what I asked?" Saruman inquired, a deadly tone in his voice.

"She was too quick, milord," Zagrat, one of the orc captains, replied. "We could not catch her."

Saruman whirled around in frustration. "The Great Lord Sauron is becoming impatient," he stated. "The Elenmîr must be found and captured at all costs."

I hope you enjoyed my chapter! I'm sorry it was so short.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Fern can still speak in Westron. But since Legolas addressed her first in Sindarin, she replied in the same tongue, which comes naturally to her because she is an elf.

Again, thanks to my reviewers! Please keep it up! You really make my day! (I'm using a lot of exclamation points, aren't I?)