Disclaimers: See Chapter 1 for more info.
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Evening turned to morning and with it came the dreams. The dream I had was so vivid that I could relive it.
I was lost in a deep, dark forest. No one was following me, or so I thought. My feet crunched the pine needles that landed on the forest floor. My heart raced inside my chest. As I ran through the woods, my vision turned towards the full moon, with its light shining down on me. It was so beautiful, and yet the screech that came up behind me forced me to collapse in a tumble on the ground.
No! The Nazgul were on top of me. All nine of them in their dark hoods and robes. They had their swords drawn. No! No, someone get me out of this dream!
I awoke at last, glad the dream was over but still surprised that I was alone. It was expected, but my behavior was uncalled for. Still, was this really happening? I opened my eyes now, seeing that I was lying on a soft mattress and a feather pillow. The room had paneled wood floors and most of the furniture was made out of dark and light wood. There were a few vases in the room, too, filled with green plants. Honestly, what was I doing here and dressed in a white gown, no less? Where was I to begin with? Bag End? How could that be when the walls were… rounded? I must have really been dreaming or else… there was Frodo, entering the bedroom. Oh, I wanted to crawl under the bed and sleep, and I gratefully rolled over. I would get out of this yet and return home. But where was home? That was a good question.
Frodo laughed softly. Honestly, what did he find so funny about me? I should be at home, but I wasn't. The bed felt so soft and warm… it made me want to sleep in more.
"It's time to get up," Frodo whispered in my ear. That shocked me. I nearly bopped him in the face with my hand, but I retracted before I had the chance to do so. I was too tired. He tried again with another whisper. "It's ten o' clock. I've already had my morning walk."
"That's good," I spoke softly, too, but comforting.
"You know most people get up earlier than you, at least in this time," he answered. "Come on. Let's…." he pulled me over to him. Our faces nearly touched, freezing us both on the spot. My heart raced again inside my chest. I honestly wanted it to stop. I might faint again. Wait a minute. Frodo didn't remember me. What if a kiss… no, I was too afraid of what might happen. I couldn't do it. Luckily, I wasn't the only one with these feelings. "Um… maybe you should get up now. Don't you think… so?"
"Yes," I managed to cough up. I nodded several times. "I think that's wise."
"Good. Come on." He said, extending his hand out to me.
I took his hand, but in that instant, something changed. The landscape, everything. We released, but to the extent that something had changed as well. I was no longer in bed, but still in my night gown. Frodo was fully dressed in his English clothing. And there was Frodo and Sam wandering across Emyn Muil. Something was different because I was a part of the group. This made no sense. None of it. How did we get here?
"How did we…" I moved my index fingers from one side to the other in confusion.
"What did you do?" he asked me in turn. We were still together, but seeing our other selves was alarming. He called out to the trio in earnest. "Hey! HEY! Can you hear me?"
"Frodo!" I piped up, dragging him over to a rock. "I don't think they can hear us."
He craned his head over to me. "What brought that up?" He looked about in confusion. "Is this real? Where are we?"
"In another time, in another place," said Gandalf's voice from behind us. He was wearing white robes now.
"You." I said in fury. "Do you remember who I am?"
"Why yes, you're Aria Breuer, the famous fanfiction author. Well, depending on your fans, you are popular to them," Gandalf replied, smiling at me.
"I'm confused. What is fanfiction?" Frodo asked, confused.
"In time, in a matter of days, you will know who she is," Gandalf said, pointing to me.
"But I hardly know her," Frodo admitted, facing me now. I honestly didn't find being ganged up on pleasant. After all, they were characters a while ago, but this made no sense.
"Gandalf, what can I do to…." I couldn't bring myself to say it. Say those words that I needed to say, to help Frodo remember who I was, if he knew at all.
"Relax. I did not send you on your way for no reason. You were brought to the Shire for that very same reason you left. To help you, to help Frodo, remember who you are," Gandalf answered, cryptic. "Now, don't you think it is time to send you back to the Shire? Relax. You won't be taking the quest for very long. These are relics, memories of daydreams when you were a tenth walker, Aria. You can be again."
"This isn't a daydream, is it?" I asked, keen on finding out the truth.
"No, it is not," Gandalf said, calmly. "Now, take Frodo's hand. You need it to return to Bag End, in your time."
I did this without complaint, but it was hard. I wanted Frodo so badly, and yet, I felt a little better taking his hand… and shocking myself with re-entry into the bedroom. I was standing up and right front of Frodo. I was no longer in bed, which was a surprise. We stood so close I could feel him near me. He seemed to be at a pause, too. I clearly needed to think of something else.
"Um… hmm." Frodo grunted, hardly finding a word to say, except "Come on. It's time to eat." He left my room a moment later.
I couldn't waste any time. I had to find a bathroom and found it I did. I was grateful for this and in minutes' time I was out of the bathroom and on the search for food. Food found me much faster than I thought. There was second breakfast sitting on the table in the dining room. Frodo was already eating a mouthful of eggs. I chose instead of sitting next to him, sitting across from him. My plate was on hand and I grabbed enough food to satisfy me. I couldn't waste any time. I was too hungry. But as I gobbled up some food, Frodo's words cut through the air, right into my heart.
"What do you think that was?" he asked me, curtly. "I mean, it is strange that Gandalf appeared in white. Don't you think?"
"Why should that make a difference?" I asked, cautious.
"Nothing," he answered, his eyes bulging for a second. "It just seemed a bit odd."
"Frodo, do you know me?" I asked in turn. It was a strange question to ask, but it needed to be answered. Frodo stopped what he was doing and looked at me.
"No." He said, bluntly. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh," I said in turn, beside myself with worry. "I just meant that maybe you might remember me…."
"Really?" he asked, serious. "Tell me, miss princess, what do you remember about me?"
"A lot of things. The good, the bad, you telling me that you loved me and you held onto that fact," I said, hoping it would jog his memory. "How you said you'd come for me one day? Do you remember that?" I looked up, but as I did I watched Frodo lean back against his chair, unconscious. No. What had I done wrong this time?! I stood up and approached him, waving my hand several times to wake him. No, that was stupid. Why did I think of that? I tried again, shaking him as best I could. "Frodo. Frodo?! Frodo!"
He jolted awake, panting. What did I do this time? He looked as if he came back from something, something personal. He took one look at me, his blue eyes searching my own. Clearly something had happened. I had to talk to him.
"Frodo, do you remember…." Too late, for me at least. I was pulled in and given a desperate plea kiss by Frodo himself. That shocked me so much, but I didn't want it to stop. We kissed so passionately for several seconds. Our food was getting cold, and I was getting hungrier, but that didn't matter much. By the time he released me, I found myself sitting on his lap, his arms wrapped around me and my head resting on his shoulders.
I didn't want this moment to end, but Frodo remembered. So maybe there was hope for us after all. Only time would tell when and what would come our way next. For now, this would do. Yes, this would do.
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Thanks for reading. :)