Prologue, Part Three Summary: Bertha passes through a doorway, finding herself in the Shire and meeting a Bounder along the way.
I'm terribly sorry for the five-month delay this chapter took to get reposted. :( I was reformatting fanfics, as well as reposting fanfics. Anyway, the reformatting's done on my end. As far as reformatting goes for fanfics when posted, we'll see what happens then. :)
For now, enjoy. :)
And yes, there's a quote in this chapter, too. But it makes sense for the chapter. :)
Prologue, Part Three:
The Journey Begins
"What is the point of heaven, hell, reincarnation and karma?
"The short answer is that we all came from Heaven and were cast in to Hell after the rebellion. We reincarnate until we can eliminate all the karma and return back to Heaven."
-Shawn Murphy, Author on Philosophy and Religion, answered on Quora
-X-X-X-
Bertha stared at the doors in wonder. She was curious about what she should do next. There were no other choices before her. It was just her and the doors. When she looked around for the LORD, she saw Him, along with the Great Lion called Aslan and a host of angelic beings, all looking down at her from atop the doors' arched frame.
Bertha sighed. She moved forward, heading towards the doors. She knew what form she wanted to take: a hobbit lass. It was the best route for her.
She moved closer to the doors. They opened, revealing a bright white light from which she would pass through. And she did, not knowing what dangers awaited her.
~o~
The doors vanished behind Bertha. She made her way out onto a lush, green landscape. There were trees everywhere. Some trees were in bloom. Bright, happy flowers flowering on the branches, while lush green leaves protruded on the trees' dark brown branches. It was a sight to behold.
This place was called the Shire, and it was where Bertha's adventures were sure to begin.
.
Bertha stepped forward, shocked to see there was nightfall across the Shire. Only, this wasn't the Shire she expected. If she had been in heaven, in a heavenly Shire, there wouldn't be no need for night. But then again, she wasn't in Heaven. She was in another realm in the Spirit Realm, where there was darkness.
Bertha looked up and around her. The darkness surrounded her. Only the path showed the light, and a cobbled white road it was, with lush green trees in every direction, a farmland on her right, a stone bridge behind her, and a wooden fence on either side of her.
It took Bertha seconds to figure out she was on one of the upper levels of the Hell Realms. She'd already crossed the threshold from which she was created and bounced into the Hell Realms by accident. Or so she thought.
How long she had been down in Hell, before she escaped one of the lower Hell Realms, remained to be seen. It was no wonder she saw a white light, before meeting with darkness.
Oh well. She was in the Shire now, or, at least, a darker version of it. She took another step, noticing the trees were watching her. The impending darkness was lifting, allowing her to breathe better.
She looked in awe and amazement, as well as relief, as the trees calmed down. They showed off their green leafy branches, their dark brown bark, as they swayed with the wind. Bushes were present, lush and green, and covered with purple, pink, and white flowers. Red roses garnished this land, making it seem as if the Shire was a wonderous place to be at.
And there, standing before her was a hobbit. A Bounder by the look of him. Bertha inched closer to the Bounder, unsure what to make of him. She was fearful that she was terribly lost. She didn't know much about herself. So, that wasn't going to solve her issue.
"Oh my! You startled me! Are you from here?" the Bounder said. He wore his green cap, donned with a red feather on one side of the cap. He wore hobbit clothes: a tunic, a waistcoat, and breeches, which certainly gave Bertha the impression that he was a well-to-do hobbit.
Bertha inquired, "I want to know where I need to go."
"Bertha! Come here!" the LORD inquired, leading Bertha away from the Bounder.
For a moment, Bertha was heading towards the LORD. Then the LORD vanished. He reappeared, showing her another path leading into Odo's Leaf-farm. Odo was younger, as Bertha could plainly see. She didn't get a good glimpse of him, but she saw the color in his hair. That was the only glimpse she saw of him.
"Cut through that farmland and you'll be fine." The LORD said, happy to see her, "Do not trouble yourself with this Bounder. He means well, but he's waiting for someone else."
Bertha looked at the Bounder, as another hobbit or two, a man and a woman, stopped by the Bounder to pick up their weapons and their supplies. There was a statchel available to them on ground, from which they picked up their weapons and supplies from.
"Come with me. It is time I take you somewhere, where you can begin your training," the LORD inquired, opening another door for Bertha, revealing a portal heading to Archet. The LORD looked upon Bertha, telling her, "Now, you'd best be on your way. Don't stop for anything. But I fear you won't need to, where you're heading."
Bertha nodded. "Right." She took one last look at the Bounder and the hobbits, knowing then all was right with the world. "Sure. I'll just…" she looked at the LORD, hugging him, "…thank you for everything."
The LORD smiled upon her, saying to her, "I know. Now go." He moved her back, telling her, "Go." Bertha nodded, doing as He said. She took one last look around at the Shire, at Young Odo's Leaf-farm, before proceeding through the door, heading straight for Archet.
End of Prologue.
Thanks for reading. More to come. :)