Part I:

The Witcher's Return

~o~

Bethany turned her gaze to the window. The nearest window showed the healer's house, which was a couple of yards away from the Ivy Bush Inn. More than anything, she wanted to check up on Frodo, see how he was doing.

Go to the Witcher! Frodo's voice rang out inside Bethany's head. Forget about me.

But Bethany couldn't forget Frodo. No matter how hard she tried, Frodo was on her mind. Somehow, she knew she would regret leaving him. That would be the worst thing she could ever do.

Go. Now! Forget me. There was Frodo's voice again, running through her mind. Bethany understood. She just wasn't sure how long this moment would last. If anything lasted at all.

Eliza gripped her chest, her heart stinging inside her chest. Bethany turned to Eliza, shocked to see she was in pain.

"What is it?" Bethany asked Eliza, who only felt worse.

Ronnie reached out and grabbed Eliza. Eliza clung to Ronnie's arm, not daring to let go.

"It's all right." Ronnie knelt beside Eliza, as if hoping that could solve her sickness. "I've got you. Come on. We'll head back to your room." He picked Eliza up, carrying her out of the dining area. Bethany heard Ronnie say, as the hobbit man carried Eliza, "You're getting heavy. It must be that dragon's blood in your veins. Are you okay? You look awful."

"Ehh! I've never been better," Eliza groaned, the sickness dwelling in her.

Bethany turned to Elijah, who only looked frightened. Bethany asked, "Will she be all right?"

"Um… hang on." Elijah met with the innkeeper, asking for another day for Eliza. The Innkeeper accepted it, not knowing if a day was enough.

"She'll need more than one day, if Eliza's to recover. We'll stay here as long as we need," Ronnie told the Innkeeper, offering to pay as much as needed for room and board. The innkeeper accepted, much to Bethany's confusion.

"Ohh!" Eliza felt her forehead. She was not doing so good.

"Eliza?" Bethany cried, a tear shedding down her face. She approached the woman, asking her, "What can I do?"

Eliza clasped Bethany's hands. She looked deep into Bethany's blue-green eyes. She mumbled loudly to Bethany, "Go in my place. I'm too weak right now. The Witchers don't accept dragons and dragonoids. They think we're something to hunt. The Witchers are monster slayers. They won't take kindly to me, but they might to you."

Eliza gestured with her head towards the inn's front door. "Go. You must. Frodo needs you." She winced, moving her head back a little in Ronnie's arms. Eliza sighed, reminding Bethany, "This sickness only occurs when something is wrong with a dragonoid and their companion. We're alike, me and Parker. We always have been. When I was gone, Parker couldn't stand it. He was sorrowful. He didn't know how to live without me. And now, I'm feeling that sickness. I don't want to die, but someone needs to take my place."

She moaned, wildly crazed. She looked at Bethany, telling her, "You and Frodo's time has come. Ronnie and Elijah have lived out their lives and now must pass the mantle over to someone else." She looked at Bethany, knowing what must be done.

Ronnie stared at Bethany, wide eyed and teary. He closed his mouth, accepting Eliza. Ronnie turned to Bethany, admitting to her, "It's true. We're as close as we can come to the end of the Third Age. Frodo's birth has come. I've seen it. Frodo's born now, but he is also in the healer's house. He's already in there twice now. And now, it is time for you and Frodo to take the helm. You're our leaders. You always have been. Seize this moment. Find the Witcher. Do what we failed to do."

He paused, adding to her, "Elijah and I can no longer govern the First Base. That time has passed with its fall. When the First Base is restored, if it's restored, then it'll be up to you and Frodo to continue the journey. You must take up this mantle. It is your destiny." He raised an eyebrow, turning to Eliza. "My only job now is to protect his wife, to protect Parker Dooley's wife, from any harm that comes to her. This is my job now and I will defend them."

He nodded to Elijah, telling him, "Elijah, take Bethany as far as she can go. After that, she's on her own. This is her journey. We cannot interfere."

Elijah nodded. "Right." He faced Bethany, saying to her, "Come on. It's time."

"But… what?" Bethany asked, the moment Elijah pulled out his dark grey device. Elijah pressed the green button, allowing a portal to open. This portal had a blue rim wrapped around an oval shaped portal. Bethany looked at the portal in confusion. She was going alone? "Wait. How?" She stopped, looking around.

Elijah and Ronnie had already disappeared down the hallway, the innkeeper heading off to do his chores. Bethany couldn't believe this. She was alone. No one was going to help her. She gulped, wondering if her tasks now would involve solo missions.

Bethany sighed, saying to the air. "Here I go." She made her way through the portal, vanishing from the Ivy Bush Inn.

.

As she walked through the portal's time realm, she caught a glimpse of Frodo in his room at the healer's house, gasping for air. A tiny voice rang out from Frodo's mouth. It was hushed and breathy, but it certainly made Bethany jump. She gasped aloud for all to hear, as Frodo stated to her, "Bethany."

"Frodo! Frodo, wait! Frodo!" Bethany ran towards the vision, only to have it disappear. She looked back at the road. The road vanished. The blue-rimmed portals disappearing. "No! No… wait! Wait, come back! Please!" She stopped and looked around. She couldn't believe this. She was trapped.

.

Bethany traversed through this secondary portal realm. The only difference between this portal realm and the portal realm she knew well enough with its mountainous region, its blue-purple skies, and the vibrant colors, was that this portal realm Bethany entered, with its white surroundings, as well as its greyish-black fog, felt to her like a far more dangerous portal realm.

She got this wake-up call not long after she entered this portal realm. Something creaked and cracked under her feet. She sighed, looking down. There were an assortment of skeletons and rocks strewn about this portal realm's floor. Wildlife and people alike had been to this portal realm. They didn't make it.

She grimaced at the thought of even staying here. One wrong move and it would be the end of her. She looked up for any way out of this terrain. Somewhere where she could be safe. She looked up, stunned to see a red dragon flying about the area.

She sighed, grateful to see a friendly face. Only… there was something wrong with this creature. His eyes were red and glowing. He scanned the area. The red dragon shot orangish-yellow flames at a passing couple, burning them up a near distance away. Bethany gasped, gulping. The happy couple… was dead? Burned alive? Oh, what could she do?

"Eh… hello?! Hello? Red dragon. I don't want to hurt you. I'm a friend," Bethany shouted, hoping that would be a good sign.

She was sorely mistaken. The red dragon flew through the air, his deep red wings massive. He was heading straight towards her. She backed away, taking off at full speed. She landed in a valley covered with dark brown to light brown dirt and grey rocks. "Ow!" She checked her legs. They were bruised and bleeding. They stung. She winced, hoping for a way out of here.

She looked up, seeing the red dragon smirk. He laughed in a menacing way. Was there no way out of this mess?

"Now, you die," the red dragon bellowed in a deep, dark voice. He opened his mouth, ready to engulf her in flames.

.

"You're weak… you were always weak… and now, everybody knows it…"

A feminine voice, much like Bethany's own voice, rang out in Bethany's mind. She wasn't dead. What? She didn't die? She felt like she died. Oh, where was she? And why did that voice call her weak? She knew that voice as anyone but Darth Freya. Sadly, it was.

"Get up… Wake up…"

There was another voice. Softer this time, kinder. Bethany sighed, wondering who the other woman's voice was and why she was trying to help her. Wasn't there anything Bethany could do? She wasn't sure.

Bethany, as her soul rushed back to her body, found herself unable to move, unable to breathe. She didn't know where she was. The world just seemed so dark. All she could do was rest, forget the world around her. She opened her eyes, finding herself in a red room with a black marble floor.

She wasn't in the secondary portal realm… heck, if she was alive. Her left side hurt as she tried to move. In fact, her whole body hurt, screaming out in pain. She opened her eyes, squinting as she tried to make sense of the world.

She looked up. A new voice called to her. It was Frodo Baggins. He was alive! She didn't understand. Where was she?

"Ohh! My head," Bethany moaned, feeling her forehead. She didn't know what was going on. All she wanted to do was go home. But where was home? This was ridiculous! She wanted to go home… now! But oh! Where was she? "Oof! Oh, where am I, Frodo?"

"Frodo? That's a funny name," Frodo said, laughing up a storm. He was dressed in a white dress shirt, dark brown suspenders, and dark brown breeches. He also wore a crown made of silver leaves and silver roses. He certainly looked the part for when he was in the Shire, in Middle-earth.

Frodo laughed again, shyly. He told her, "Welcome to my mind! You'll find it… exquisite."

"Am I dead?" Bethany asked, cautious.

Frodo thought on it, saying to her, "Well, yes, you are dead. Parker's dead, too. He died in the Haunted Manor, once called the Chesapeake Manor. Eliza's dead, too. She died when Vitiate killed her by a lightning storm, which he propelled from his hands. How are they alive? How are they all alive? Good question. It's a little harder to explain."

Bethany sat up, confused. "What? You mean we're all dead?" She attempted to stand up, but found herself plopping down on the marble floor again. "Ouch!"

Frodo waved his hands, calming her down. "There's no need to get frightened. These things are temporary. You'll be back on your feet in no time." He smirked, saying to her, "But yeah, welcome to my timeline. The events you witnessed were nothing more than a memory, a timeline of events, which myself and the fictional characters are playing out. You did want to see the Characters' War, didn't you? It may be more difficult to explain."

"How are you here? Didn't you die in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth?" Bethany asked, cautious.

Frodo smirked, laughing again. "Here's the thing: if we're talking about reality, then yes, I wouldn't be here. Thanks to you, I am! Everything you just saw happened for a reason. Consider everything an illusion. A time where events and characters cannot die. No character stays dead for long. They always respawn and keep on living. The moment Parker Dooley died in that Haunted Manor; he became a character."

He furrowed his brow, quizzical, "I should be dead now, too. In fact, I was dead on Tol Eressëa during the Fourth Age. Samwise Gamgee is dead, too. Nearly all the Fellowship members are dead, with the exception of Gandalf, who is practically an Istari. For you see, Gandalf cannot die. We mortals can. Everything you've been seeing and watching are no more than memories."

He pressed his hand against his chest, telling Bethany, "For you see, you're a character. You always have been." He smirked at her, saying to her, "You might as well consider us all to be fictional characters, or vice versa. It's a bit more complicated than you know. But who knows who we really are? Some people will say they're real, while others will believe that fictional characters are in their own world, or the folks will think they're fictional characters to the fictional characters."

He smirked, continuing. "It's a bit of a convoluted story. Who knows really who's real and who's fictional? Just know that some things, some events happen for a reason." He turned to Bethany, asking her, "Confused?" Bethany nodded. Frodo smirked, "You should be. Who knows what's going on in the world around us? But one thing is clear: not one character is leaving this timeline until the Characters' War is over, or before then, if we can complete the trilogy I created. Once that's done, this world and everything will change. You may not like what results you're getting though."

He smirked at her again, wider this time. "But don't worry. If one of the heroes falls, if you fall, I will be there to respawn them. We're not leaving until I figure out what's going on beyond the Characters' War. And even then, we still may not leave this timeline. Not until I see it finished and completed. I hope you do intend to stay."

Bethany stood up, rushing away from him. She was close to the elevator. She had to make her daring, dashing escape from Frodo's brain. How did she even get inside his brain? Was there no other way out?

"Where do you think you're going?" Frodo's voice crept up behind her. Bethany stopped; her breath hushed. She turned around, facing him as he joined her.

"Frodo, I must go. I have to go home. I have to…"

"Bethany, there's nowhere for you to go. I took you offline the moment you died," Frodo said, straightening Bethany's white blouse sleeve. He looked at her now, wanting to kiss her. He knew if he did, there would be consequences. They weren't ready to meet in person, and Frodo knew it. Even after all he'd been through, he knew there was hope.

He needed Bethany to see it, before something else happened to them. "Come on. I have some things to show you." He opened the elevator door, watching its dark grey doors open up. He extended an arm to her, hoping she would take it.

She refused, leaving Frodo to grit his teeth. "If you don't come, then I will make you come. And believe me, Bethany, you don't want to know when that happens. So, I suggest you trust me. I know you. You may have forgotten, but you need to rust me. So, come on. I won't trouble you, if you don't allow me to trouble you."

He extended his arm, gesturing for her to take it. "Come on. What more do you have to lose?"

Bethany looked at him in confusion. She didn't know what she was here for, what she had to do. Well, maybe she did know. Frodo wasn't specific on why she was here. But why Frodo would do this? Was there a reason behind all of this? What more did they need to know? What more could be gained? Surely, there was a way to get out of this story, if such a thing was possible.

Bethany shrugged, saying to Frodo, "Do I have a choice? Do I have a say in the matter?"

"Bethany, we need to follow this story. Are you with me or not?" Frodo asked, still gesturing for her to take his arm. "Come on. What more do you have to lose?" He repeated, hoping this time Bethany would take his arm, just like he wanted.

Bethany sighed, taking his arm. Frodo smiled, clasping his arm against his side, while holding Bethany's other hand firmly in his. "Now, that's better." He leaned forward, kissing her hand, which he held in his hot, soft hand. "Come on. Let's move." He made his way to the elevator, taking Bethany with him.

*.*.*

References:

The information on fictional characters being real or not, or us being real or fictional, can be found on Quora.