Well, I must say. This is quite fun to write. These characters are supposed to be based of people I know and myself, so it's not quite as hard to get the feel for the characters since I already know exactly how they'd act. It's fun, I just hope it's not Mary Sue-ish. I'm trying not to make it so, I hope I'm succeeding. Thank you to all the people who have read and followed this story. I didn't get any comments but the follows on it seem to say enough. So here's chapter one. Let's see what kind of response this chappy gets. If ya'll feel up to it, leave a comment and tell me who's your favorite so far and why. I have a very curious friend who wishes to know, but I won't deny I'm curious too :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, that goes to J.R.R. Tolkien. I own Kijo, Tezo, Rata, Divan, Suva and Kixi.

P.S. "Italics"=elvish 'Italics'=thoughts.

Divan

I groaned when I finally came to. Using my forearms, I pushed myself into a half sitting position. My head spun and one of my hands shot up to hold my sore head. What happened? I heard a loud squawk from somewhere to my left. Rata! I forced my eyes back open from where they had closed and turned my head to look for my companion.

She was standing, her top feathers standing up and the rest of her body puffed out like it always was when she was either afraid or protecting. She was snapping at the handle of something and as I followed the length of the handle up, I saw shinning metal and a red beard. I blinked a few times in shock before it truly registered that this person, whoever they were, was poking at my bird. My eyes narrowed and I got to my feet. "What do you think you're doin'?" I questioned the short bearded man angrily. Rata, seeing me awake and on my feet, took off and flew to her spot on my shoulder. She landed a little shakily, feathers still puffed out, ready for a fight.

The bearded man blinked before he smiled. At least, I think it was a smile. It was hard to tell with all that hair. "Ah, the lass is awake!" he exclaimed, setting the handled object, an axe, down blade first and leaning on the handle "I feared ye were badly hurt. Ye took quite a tumble lassie!"

My eyebrows drew together as I processed his words. What had happened? The last thing I remember was… was my apartment exploding. I almost groaned out loud, but managed to keep it to a mental groan. Great, I was dead. But if I was dead, how was I standing right here perfectly fine? And who was the short man with the red beard and axe? I looked towards him. He was watching me, observing my mental interrogation of myself. I decided a few questions were in order. I wasn't going to figure out where I was if I didn't ask.

"Where am I? And who are you, if I may ask." I kept my voice calm and curious, almost the exact opposite of what I was really feeling. I was definitely not calm, that's for sure.

"Why, yer in Erebor! Also known as The Lonely Mountain, though it certainly isn't lonely anymore!" he said, laughing at his own joke. I probably would have laughed too, had the name of the place not been my only focus. Erebor, The Lonely Mountain. In other words, Middle Earth. How the hell had we gotten here?

I looked at the short bearded man. I knew what he was now, a dwarf. They were the only creatures in Middle Earth with that much hair. And as I studied his features, I realized just who I was talking to. Gimli, son of Gloín and a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. But, just to make sure, I asked his name again.

"May I ask what your name is?" I asked, speaking the way I remembered people from Middle Earth speaking. They spoke like the old time medieval people. Speaking like the backwoods hick that I was often called would raise many questions that I didn't want to half to try lying through. I didn't need to push it.

The dwarf that I guess was Gimli laughed again. "Of course ye can, lassie!" he bellowed out in his rough, dwarvish voice "I am Gimli, son of Gloín. May I ask yer name, lassie?" I nodded slowly.

"I am Divan." I told him and then gestured to Rata who still sat perched on my shoulder. She wasn't puffed out now, though her top feathers were still raised. "This is Rata, my bird."

Gimli gave an almost thoughtful nod. "That's why it kept puffing up whenever I came near ya. When I first saw it, I thought the thing was trying to eat ya! Kept pecking at ya it did. That's why I was poking at It." he grunted. I almost laughed at his explanation as to why he had been poking at her. The thought of Rata trying to eat me was quite amusing in my eyes. Rata didn't think so.

"I would never even think of it." she retorted to the dwarf. Gimli jumped, his eyes going wide as he looked up to stare at Rata, who almost looked like she was glaring at him.

"Did- did the bird just speak!?" he asked incredulously. I chuckled at his astonishment.

"Yes, she spoke. She is a bird that is capable of mimicking the words we speak. Her high intelligence gives her the ability to understand what she hears and form sentences that correctly answer or reply to almost anything you say." I explained to him. He gaped at Rata, whose feathers ruffled slightly at the attention. She didn't seem to like this. Gimli cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed and still amazed.

"Where'd ye come from lassie? How did ya get here? And what are ye wearing?!" the dwarf exclaimed. I down to find myself still in my red angry birds sweat pants and blue tank top. I pursed my lips. How was I going to explain this one?

"I am… not sure how I got here." I started. That wasn't a lie. I had no idea how I got here. By all rights I should be ash in my apartment right now. "I – I am from a place far from here that much I know. The name and the location evade me. I do not remember. The clothes are likely from my home, wherever it may be." That was complete crap, but I wasn't about to try to explain the wonders of Earth to Gimli nor the wonders of how the heck I'd gotten here. Just no.

The dwarf pondered for a moment, looking me up and down as if examining me. I resisted the urge to shift on my feet. I hated attention of any kind. I was always more than content to stay hidden amongst the shadows when it came to being in the spotlight.

"So ye have no idea where ye are from? No idea how to get back?" he asked me. I nodded slowly, trying to act the part of someone that was lost and confused. I was confused for sure. Lost, not so much. I'd read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" books so I at least knew where I was at. I probably couldn't get from place to place by myself, but I wasn't totally lost.

Gimli hummed for a moment, considering this. "Ye have nowhere to stay, either, do ya lassie?" he asked. Again, I shook my head.

"I have nothing save for the clothes I wear and the bird perched on my shoulder." I told him. Rata made a huffing noise from my shoulder, probably thinking to herself that it was obvious we had nothing but each other. I glanced sideways at her, glaring slightly so she knew to stay quiet. She made that huffing sound again but settled further onto my shoulder and shook out her feathers. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Ye can stay here in the mountain with us if ye wish lassie. 'Tis no trouble at all. We shall find someone that can make ye some new garments. Something more… common." The dwarf announced. I was surprised. Here I was, an oddly clothed stranger with an uncommon pet, and he was willing to let me stay? Shouldn't he be pointing that axe at me threatening to chop off my head with it?

"You are letting me stay? A stranger amongst your people?" I asked, the surprise leaking into my voice "Should you not be threatening me with bodily harm and questioning my loyalties? Or something of the sort at the very least?" Gimli laughed.

"I should be, yes. Ye are a stranger from lands unknown but I do not see any foulness in ye lassie. Ye are no spy or traitor, I can tell. Ye are honest with the words ye speak. Ye are welcome here, and ye are welcome to stay." He stated, a smile on his face. My eyebrows raised in shock but after a moment, a small smile wormed its way onto my face. I nodded to the dwarf, bowing my head to him.

"You are most gracious. I thank you for the offer. I shall stay, as long as it is no trouble to you or your people." I returned.

"'Tis no trouble at all lassie. We shall enjoy teaching ye the ways of the dwarves. Now come. Let us find someone who can make ye some garments that look more normal." He said, stepping forwards to grab my hand and tug me along. I jerk some and Rata let out a squawk as she tried not to fall from my shoulder.

We followed behind the dwarf as he led us down hallways and rooms that looked more like caves, which I suppose they were. I got many stares from other dwarves and I wondered why Gimli had been the only one near me. Had there not been others around?

"Why were there no others with you? Were you alone when you found me?" I asked Gimli. The dwarf turned his head to look at me before facing forward again and turning down another hallway.

"Nay. My father, Gloín, was with me. Ye were out for some time lassie. My father left to go tend to a dispute. He said he wished to speak with ye when ye woke though. Once we are finished with the tailor we shall go see my father." He answered me. I nodded and continued to follow him through the halls. We eventually came to another cave/room. Inside was dark haired dwarf. I guessed it to be a man but I couldn't be sure. I remembered from the movies that Gimli had said dwarf women looked like men. I only hoped Gimli clarified before I had to speak.

"Zolana, my good woman!" Gimli exclaimed, answering my silent gender question "We are in need of yer services!" the dark haired dwarf woman looked up at Gimli, a smile on her face.

"What'd ye do now, Gimli? Stain another shirt with ale?" the woman joked. I could see Gimli scowled playfully at her.

"I have done no such thing!" he exclaimed "'Tis not I that needs ye assistance today Zola. This lassie needs some new garments." The dwarf woman looked over at me and I met her gaze.

"I should say! What are ye wearing?!" she exclaimed as she evaluated me. I shrugged my shoulders slightly, not sure what to say. She came towards me and I could feel Rata's talons digging into my shoulder. I flexed the shoulder she was sitting on, trying to silently tell her to calm down. This dwarf lady wouldn't hurt me. At least, I didn't think she would.

"Oh this won't do. Come with me lassie. We shall get ye measured and I shall have some garments ready for you within a few days. Until then, I do believe I have something you can wear. It may be a tad small but it should work well enough." She grabbed my hand much like Gimli had done and tugged me along. I shot an almost terrified look at Gimli, who just laughed at my expression.

"Go easy on the lassie, Zolana!" he called as we disappeared around a corner. Her laughter echoed back down the hallway behind us. I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat and prayed that the dwarf woman wouldn't poke me with any needles.

Kijo

The wet tongue and quiet whimpering were what brought Kijo back to reality. She groaned, one of her hands lifting up to her head, which felt as if it weighed a ton. The wet tongue made another appearance and the whimpers got a little louder. Kijo used the arm that wasn't at her head to push herself up into a semi-sitting position. She blinked her eyes open, letting them become adjusted to the light filtering through the window.

Window?

Kijo turned her aching head to the source of the light. A balcony was to the right of her, a window in front and slightly to the right, almost next to the balcony. Early morning light filtered through both the balcony and the window, illuminating the room in a soft haze of gold. Kijo blinked once before reaching up to rub her eyes. She was dreaming. She had to be.

The wet tongue came again and Kijo turned her head to find her loyal friend laying on the bed next right beside her, concern in his blue eyes and his sloppy tongue hanging out. A bed? Kijo was as confused as a bear in winter. Where was she? Who had brought her here? And what the fudge had happened? Tezo's alerting growl told Kijo that someone was coming. She couldn't hear them, whoever they were, but she was only human. Tezo's ears were much better than her own.

Kijo clutched to her dog's fur in slight fear. She had no idea where she was, who was coming, or what exactly had happened to her. The last thing she remembered was having a conversation about an abnormal buzzing sound with Suva and Divan as they got their food and drinks before the next movie…

Oh.

Kijo's eyes widened as she remembered the conversation and the single event that had happened afterwards. A huge boom, burning red, and expanding heat. Death, in the form of an explosion. But, if she was dead, then why was she alive? Kijo's head hurt just thinking the words.

"You are awake." The voice was deep and definitely male. Kijo looked up to find a tall male with long dark hair standing in the doorway of the room she was staying in. He looked vaguely familiar. Had she seen him somewhere before? She wasn't sure but she thought she had.

"Where – where am I?" Kijo asked him. He had kind, wise eyes but she still didn't trust him. Despite her outgoing personality, new people terrified her sometimes. Especially older, male new people. There was no telling what a male would do to a woman. Just because they looked nice, didn't mean they were.

"You are in Rivendell in The Last Homely House. This is my home. I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell." The male announced, sounding proud but not overly so. Kijo's eyes widened as she stared at the dark haired man.

Rivendell? The Last Homely House? Elrond?! Now she knew why he was familiar. He was that elf guy from the movie about the short dude that found the ring and the dragon! Oh, what was the name of that movie? It started with an 'H' didn't it? Hil, no that wasn't right. Hib, no, no, no that wasn't it! Hob, Hobi, Hobbil, Hobbit. That was it!

"The Hobbit!" she exclaimed, not realizing she'd said it out loud. That was the name of that movie that Suva, Divan and she had went to see. About the hobbit who found a magic ring on his way to destroy a dragon! They'd met this elf-lord of Rivendell on their journey!

"I beg your pardon?" Elrond asked bemusedly. Realizing that she had spoken the words out loud, she clamped her mouth, her eyes going wide again. 'Ah crap.' She thought to herself.

"Uhmm… n–nothing!" she stuttered out. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She was dead, or she was supposed to be, in a world she knew absolutely nothing about beside the name and the very place she sat in, she had no idea what had happened to Suva and Divan plus Kixi and Rata, and now she would probably have to try to explain Earth to an elf. Could this day get any better?

"You are not from this world." The elf in the doorway stated. Before she could stop herself, her head snapped up and she found herself saying words that would probably have been better left unsaid.

"You know?!"

The elf gave a wiry grin. "Yes, I know. Your manner of dress was… quite peculiar at best. Also, I sensed when you entered this world. There was a shift. I did not know it was you, however, until my sons brought you and your wolf companion back with them. They said getting your companion to let them near you was quite difficult." He answered back calmly "He is quite protective of you."

Kijo nodded. "He always has been, even when he was a puppy." She replied, scratching behind her dog's ears. "He's always been – Wait? Did you say wolf?" Elrond's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"That is what he is. He is a most oddly colored wolf though. I have not seen such colorings on a wolf." Elrond replied. Kijo gaped at him.

"This is freaky. I'm supposed to be dead but I'm not. I wind up in that world from The Hobbit, and now my dog's a wolf. This day keeps getting weirder and weirder…" Realizing that she had spoken out loud once again, she clapped her hand over her mouth.

Elrond was staring at her, a mix of curiosity and confusion written plainly on his face. What was she supposed to say? Could she tell this man, err elf, what had happened? Would he believe her? He knew she was from another world, another time, so believing her didn't seem that hard. But what about the whole possibility of revealing too much information? Would she do that? She knew very little about this place or what happened in the books. She'd only half paid attention during The Hobbit but from what she remembered that was past news anyway. Was it safe to tell him?

Kijo looked up at the elf-lord. One of his eyebrows was raised in silent question. Kijo sighed. She was probably going to regret this, but she didn't really see how she had a choice. She needed to find out what had happened and this elf seemed like the best idea to do that at this point. As long as she didn't tell him too much, she'd be fine. It was just figuring out what was too much that would be the hard part.

"I'm –" Kijo swallowed the lump in her throat "I'm from a place called Earth. It's a lot like this place in some ways but it's also really different. I lived on my own with Tezo here." She said, gesturing to the wolf by her side. "We… we went to my friend Divan's house for a movie night. We were getting popcorn before we started the next movie when Divan heard it. It was a buzzing sound. Suva, one of my other friends, and I asked if we should be worried about it. None of us realized what it was until it was too late. Divan's apartment exploded. We all would have been dead almost instantly. And now me and Tezo, we're here. And I don't know how that happened."

Elrond took a few moments to process everything she had said. She could almost see the wheels turning as he analyzed everything. She didn't know if she had said too much, she hoped she hadn't. Telling him anything at all about what happened could effect this world or even her own. Kijo resisted the urge to groan at her own stupidity. Why did it always seem like she was making stupid decisions?

"You have quite the tale to tell." Elrond started, acting as if he too was not sure how to begin "I do not understand what some of what you spoke of is. If you are willing, I would like to listen to your tale in more detail. Perhaps I can help you with your troubles and help you find why you are here, or how you will get back to your own world." Kijo shook her head.

"I don't think I'm going back. I was dead in my world. I don't know how I ended up here, but I know I'm not going back to my world." She said sadly. She would miss Earth and all its perks. Especially coffee. How was she going to live without coffee? The elves were in for a rough time if she was going to be going through caffeine withdrawal.

"Perhaps, then, we shall discover why you were brought to our world. Come," he said, gesturing for her to stand and follow him "this topic is better discussed in my study where there is not the possibility of listening ears."

Kijo swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood shakily. The now slightly big than before, now turned wolf Tezo jumped down from the bed and padded silently beside his mistress. Kijo followed the Elf-lord down long, maze like hallways that were definitely going to prove trouble navigating. She was lost in her thoughts, unsure of what this would bring for both her and the people of this world, when Elrond's deep voice interrupted her.

"You have not told me your name, milady. May I ask it?"

"Huh? Oh yea. I'm Kijo." Kijo answered. She could see the elf's head bob up in down and let out a quiet sigh. What else could happen today?

Suva

The first thing Suva thought was that she had been drinking, which was absurd. Suva never drank. She couldn't remember ever touching a drop of alcohol. But if she hadn't been drinking and it wasn't a hangover, why did her head hurt like she had been? Suva groaned, pushing herself up into a sitting position so that she could hold her head in her hands. What happened?

The cat like growl had Suva alarmed. Only a handful of times had she ever heard that growl but, had it always been that loud? Suva didn't remember and she would take time later to try. Right now, her loyal cat was growling at something she deemed a threat to the safety of herself and Suva. That needed Suva's full attention. She looked around her, trying to find her loyal friend, but was met with legs. Human legs.

Following the legs up, Suva was met face to face with a very sharp looking arrow. Suva's eyes widened and she let out a sound that was equivalent to a meep. She tried backing up, but was met with something sharp poking into her back which made her jump forwards. Almost into the arrow in front of her.

Spinning around, Suva found she was surrounded by tall men, all with blonde hair and bows with sharp arrows draw and ready to be fired. Suva was terrified. Who wouldn't be? Her eyes slid to the cat next to her. A cat that wasn't just a simple bobtail cat anymore, but one that was a much larger, wild looking bobcat. It looked like Kixi, it was Kixi. Just, a whole lot bigger version of Kixi.

An eerily familiar voice spoke in a language that was both foreign and known to Suva. Suva was surprised to find that she knew exactly what the voice was saying, even though she knew she had never learned this language before. It was elvish, a language spoken by the elves of Middle Earth, a fictional world made up by J.R.R. Tolkien. So who was this guy and why was he speaking it?

When the voice didn't receive an answer from Suva, he re-asked the question, shoving the arrow a little closer. Suva meeped again, scooting closer to her bobcat who let out another cat-like growl. She didn't know how she knew how to answer, but she would answer just so that hopefully these men would stop pointing the arrows at her.

"I – I – I a-am Suva." Suva answered shakily, clutching to the fur of Kixi.

"What business do you have in the woods of King Thranduil?" the man asked her. Suva's eyebrows shot up. Thranduil? As in Mirkwood King, Thranduil? As in Legolas' father, Thranduil? As in "The Lord of the Rings"? She was dreaming, she had to be. There was no way she was sitting, terrified, in the middle of the Mirkwood woods with elven archers surrounding her while her bobtail cat turned wild bobcat growled at said elven archers. Just. Not. Possible. She must have fallen asleep during the movie night and –

Right, she was dead.

She remembered now. Going in to get popcorn and other things before the next movie. It had been Divan's turn to pick and Suva knew what she would pick. The Lord of the Rings. It was one of her favorite movies and Suva knew that they would be watching it during their movie night. She'd been right. They all three (Divan, Kijo and herself) had all went back into the kitchen to get the rest of the goods when the buzzing had started. Divan had said it was abnormal. None of them realized until it was too late just how abnormal it was. Now, they were all nothing but ash in Divan's apartment. Well, she wasn't. Somehow, Suva had ended up in the middle of Mirkwood. Not where she would have guessed she was going.

The arrow was pushed into her face again, reminding her that she had been asked another question that she hadn't answered. How, exactly, was she supposed to tell these elves what she was doing in Mirkwood if she didn't know? Suva gulped in some air and decided it was time to just wing it. Wasn't that what Divan said whenever she was in a tight situation?

"I… have no business in these woods." Suva began, making up the story as she went along "But it seems my horse thought otherwise." The elf in front of her, the one who had first spoke and also the one that looked hauntingly familiar, narrowed his eyes.

"Where were you going and where do you come from? And what of the… cat that protects you so?" the elf asked coldly. Suva refrained from panicking. That would only get her into more trouble. Where had she come from that would make the most sense?

"I come from Rohan. I was traveling for the west, a small city of men resides there and I wished to join them. To get away from the evils of my homeland. As for the cat, she is mine. I have raised her since she was but a mere kitten. She lost her mother to orcs and was left to die. I found her and have raised her ever since." It sounded convincing enough, she supposed. Suva had never been a good actor or liar, so the true test of her skills would be whether or not these elves believed her.

"You say you travel to get away from the evil and yet you travel alone? A maiden, by herself. That is asking to be attacked." The elf replied. Suva bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself calm.

"I am no stranger to weapons or to battle. I lived in a small village that was on the edge of Rohan. We were never well protected and were forced to protect ourselves. I am no stranger to a blade, but I do not like them. I fight only if I must." Suva told him. She was still trying to figure out who he was. The golden blonde hair and striking blue eyes were so familiar. Who was he?

"Yet you carry none with you." The elf stated. He was examining her again. Those ice blue eyes made her want to squirm. Were all elves gazes so intense?

"My weapons were attached to my saddle. My horse has disappeared, taking my weapons and my supplies with him." Suva retorted.

"We had seen no horses nor heard no hooves. He did not go further into the forest." the elf said.

"He would not have. He would have returned to Rohan. He did not wish to leave to begin with." Suva murmured.

Suva could tell that he wasn't sure what to make of her. She couldn't tell if he believed the tale she had spun or not and she didn't dare turn to look and see if any of the other elves seemed to believe it. She was treading thin ice as it was. No need to make it worse.

"How does a maiden of Rohan know the language of the elves?" the elf finally asked. Suva's hand clutched a little tighter to her cat's fur. How was she going to explain this one?

"My father… he traveled much and was well school. He told me that he had visited a group of elves once, for several years he lived among them. He never told me why, though I always asked. I fear it was because of unfortunate events that he came to be with them and does not like to speak of it." Suva tried not to hold her breath, knowin that would alert the elves to a lie. Holding your breath was a key sign, it meant you were waiting to see if the people you were speaking to would believe you. The elf in front of her examined her for a few more moments before he gave an order for the other elves to lower their bows. Suva almost sighed in relief.

"You will come with me. You shall have audience with the King and he shall decide what actions we will take." the elf announced with an air of authority. Suva gave a shaky nod.

With some effort, Suva managed to push herself to her feet. Kixi stayed right by her side, her body taunt and ready to spring at any moment. She looked like the lethal bobcat that she now was. She just hoped she didn't attack anyone. They had already died once, no need to do it again.

Suva followed behind the elf that had spoken to her. He told another elf to continue the patrol and that he would return as soon as the matter at hand was dealt with. The elf nodded and bowed his head in respect, quietly responding with a "Yes, Prince Legolas."

Suva realized why he looked so familiar. This was Legolas! The woodland prince and a member of the fellowship! Suva gulped. An audience with the prince and his father. Oh dear, this could not end well.

Suva received many stares as she and Kixi followed behind the prince. The people of Mirkwood must have found her very strange indeed. She was human, first of all. She had a bobcat at her side. She was also dressed weirdly. Suva knew then and there that they had believed none of her tale. She was dressed to strangely for them to have believed she was from Rohan. Suva held back a groan. So much for Divan's "Just wing it" idea. Suva couldn't think of a time she had ever done something more stupid.

When they got to the palace, Legolas spoke to two wary guards, telling them what had transpired and that he needed to speak with the kind about the matter. After five minutes of harsh words and a few orders, the guards let them pass. They entered the palace and Legolas led her towards the throne room, where his father would most likely be.

When they entered, the room was mostly empty. Only Thranduil and two of his council were in the room, speaking in hushed tones. When they noticed Legos, Suva and Kixi, the two council men stood and bowed in respect to the prince, who hastily bowed back.

"Father, I wish to speak to you on a matter." Thranduil nodded his head as a sign to continue.

"Alone, if I may." Legolas said. Thranduil eyed his son for a moment before switching his gaze to Suva and Kixi. Suva tried not to squirm. She knew where Legolas got his eyes.

"You are dismissed." Thranduil said to the two council men. They bowed and hurriedly left the hall, leaving the four of them alone. Thranduil stood from his throne and descended the stairs, walking towards Legolas and Suva.

"Who is this, Legolas?" Thranduil asked "And why is she here?"

"She calls herself by the name of Suva. She says she had no business in Mirkwood and claims she was traveling for the west from Rohan." Legolas shot Suva a look "She speaks elvish, father."

That made the King's eyebrows raise in surprise. The woodland king walked towards her, curiosity written on his face. He stopped five feet from her at Kixi's warning growl and glanced down at the large cat that now stood in front of Suva.

"Most peculiar." He stated "You are not from Rohan. You do not appear to be from Middle Earth at all. Your manner of clothing is strange, nothing of Middle Earth, or at least nothing that any of these elves have seen. You speak elvish, yet appear to have no elvish background and you hold company with a wild cat."

Suva gulped again. What was she going to say to that? Lying more would likely get her killed. She was likely to be killed anyhow. She couldn't tell them that she was from Earth. She couldn't risk screwing up the time line of middle earth. But she couldn't lie to them. They already knew she had lied the first time!

"The words you spoke to my son and his guard were untrue. Why? Be you a spy from Dol Guldur?" Thranduil questioned. Suva shook her head.

"I am no spy, my lord." Suva said, bowing her head.

"Then what are you, maiden? You are no Rohirrim." Thranduil stated. Suva sighed.

"I fear I cannot tell you, my lord." Suva returned. She knew the words would get her killed, but she couldn't tell them. Not without risking messing up everything.

"And why is that?" Thranduil asked. His voice was devoid of emotion. Suva almost winced. He sounded so cold and yet so emotionless.

"I fear if I tell you, then I shall upturn everything that has or will happen to Middle Earth. If I were to tell you my story, I would first have to speak with the wizard Mithrandir." It was the truth. If there was anyone she could tell even the slightest bit of information to without messing things up, it would be Gandalf. For all she knew, Gandalf already knew she was here and was working on finding the answer as to why.

Thranduil considered her for a moment. Suva watched as he turned to Legolas.

"There was a request that a representative of Mirkwood be sent to the council of Elrond. Mithrandir will likely appear at this council. In a week's time, when you leave, she shall go with you. She will speak with Mithrandir and learn of her troubles." Thranduil turned back to her "I wish to hear this tale once it has been decided that you may speak of it. Until then, however, you shall remain in these halls. You shall accompany Prince Legolas when he journeys to the council." Suva nodded to the king.

"Yes, my lord." She answered timidly. She was still afraid that he would have her killed. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Legolas nod at his father. Thranduil nodded back and turned, starting back towards his chair before pausing.

"I am putting you in charge of her care, Legolas. See to it that she receives new, less odd clothing and show her to a spare room that she may stay in." Legolas' eyebrows drew down, but he once again nodded.

"I told Raulon that I would return to the borders. If I am to watch over the lady, can someone be sent to inform them that I shall not be returning?" the prince asked. Thranduil nodded as he climbed the stairs and took his seat.

"They shall be informed of the new arrangements." Thranduil stated "You are free to go."

Legolas nodded and gestured for Suva to follow him. She did, almost as if she was on autopilot, Kixi following right at her heels. That meeting had went considerably better than she had expected. She had expected to be killed. Basically being told she must return to tell her tale after she visits Rivendell was definitely better than death. She watched Legolas' back as he led her down more hallways that she would never remember her way around. This would be an interesting week, that's for sure. A week with Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, as her guide? Not exactly what she'd had planned, but she supposed she could work with it. So long as she survived the encounter. She did not wish to be on the receiving end of his bow again.