Collide, LotR fic - 'We were meant to live'

I am just so excited because this is my first ever fan fic! Don't worry, I do have some writing talent, I've just never written a fic before.
*Takes breath*
Ok, this is called Collide (you will see why after a few chapters) and I would say that it is rated PG-13...yeah, the worst thing is violence (which isn't even graphic) and you will probably find the substitute swear words amusing. You could put this in the action/adventure/comedy category, but since I am a girl there will obviously be a little romance too.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the LOTR characters that I mention in this fic. I do, however, own the plot, the main character (Rosalyn), and other minor characters (Alex, Audrey, nameless characters).

All right then, here's the prologue: (feedback would be appreciated)

~Prologue~

The world was calm. Birds flew gracefully overhead, coming to rest in the branches of a giant willow tree. A slight breeze tickled the fingerlike branches, sending leaves floating to the forest floor. The sound of water gurgling in a nearby brook mingled with the chattering of the birds, and would have soothed even the most troubled soul.

One of the birds suddenly gave out a chirp of alarm - something was not right. The rest took notice of the call, and they sensed it too. The whole flock rose up at once, fleeing in a panicked horde. Seconds later, a crack sounded, and a man in his early twenties came tumbling out of the tree to land on the ground in a jumbled heap.

He was what would be considered "lanky", his torn jeans and beat up t-shirt hanging off of his skinny frame. Picking up his broken glasses off the ground, he cursed under his breath. He stopped and took in the sight around him. Then he began to shout and run around excitedly, barely escaping a unwanted meeting with the tree trunk.

"I can't believe it worked! It..I just...my god...I made it!" he exclaimed breathlessly. He turned around, checked the wind direction, and headed toward what he best guessed to be south. Everything had gone perfectly, and he would be expected. His next great adventure had begun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It probably won't make sense until later on in the story...heh heh, prologues are so much fun for that reason

Comments? "Anyone, anyone?" - Ferris Bueler's Day Off

*sighs, then starts singing* "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll eat some worms..." eww , maybe not that extreme, lol

well, I WAS going to post the first chapter (which is a heck of a lot more interesting) after people started reading/replying...I guess it will just have to wait a bit.

GAH! i'm here I"M HEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRREEEE i wuv you WEE-SHA!!!



but of course, i've already read the prologue (which is just plain EVIL with suspense you bum lol)

MORE!!!! please???? and i'd recomend posting ur chappys in part, if they're as long as you've implies (makes em last longer lol )

alright, i gtg, loves fris, cu morrow

See, everything's ok as long as Jewelz still loves me...
Yay! One person is reading it...wait...not so yay...more people?

*sings* Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll post it (ch 1) tomorrow, it's only a day awaaaay...

No one else...hmm, it is probably because this isn't in "The Lads" and everyone and their mother (lol) reads stuff in there. Well, here's hoping that this interests more people...I am going to post the first official chapter:

~Chapter One~
One year later...

"And according to our recent numbers, production has gone way up, which I believe to be caused by the change in the infrastructure of the marketing team. Their invaluable contributions have invariably...blah blah blah blah, blah blah... Blah?..."

Rosalyn Swift wondered at what point she had stopped caring as she chewed on the end of her pen thoughtfully, casting her gaze out the window of the ten-story office building. The sun was shining and the sky was a striking shade of blue, much like the eyes of the bored twenty-three year old. Here she was, stuck listening to Sir-Yawns-a-Lot discussing the effectiveness of increased stapler use in the office, when she could be doing something much more, well, interesting. Like sitting in a coffee shop reading one of her favorite books.

She had left her family and friends in California to move to New York City a year ago, in the hopes of figuring out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. With her business major from a prestigious university, she had come to New York with high hopes, and all she had found was a position as an intern in an office supply company. Her job consisted of writing reports that no one really appreciated and talking to self-absorbed CEOs in numerous phone calls. It was a nowhere job and boring as heck, but it paid her bills.

"Don't you agree, Ms. Swift?" Her boss had noticed her sans-attention look and decided to pick on the junior employee.

"Um, yeah...what he said," she mumbled, pointing to the man sitting next to her. He normally gave everyone a piece of his mind and that response had saved her many a time, but unfortunately he had fallen asleep and had obviously said nothing for a good half hour.
"Oops, I mean that...I uh...staplers...they, um..." she stumbled clumsily over her words at being put on the spot.

Her boss sighed. "I thought so. Well, I guess that concludes our meeting for today. Johnson -" he poked the sleeping man until he woke up, "remember to get that numbers report on my desk by Friday. And Swift, please see me in my office."

"Yes sir..." Rosalyn groaned as she trudged into Mr. Smith's office.

Mr. Smith sat down at his desk, folded his fingers on top of a stack of papers, and gave her a look of disappointment. "I've been noticing lately that your performance has fallen. Is there anything you would like to talk to me about?"

Yeah, she was stuck in this crappy city with too many people, thousands of miles away from people she knew, had only really made two friends, was going nowhere occupationally, and wanted to be anywhere but here at the moment. She couldn't go home empty handed, as it would only prove to everyone that she was a complete failure. And she desperately needed coffee. But she couldn't tell her boss that.

"No, sir, I have just had a lot of things on my mind lately, that's all. Maybe it's the knowledge that not enough people are using staplers in today's offices," she said jokingly, mimicking the meeting presentation.

Mr. Smith put on a weak smile of amusement. She had spunk, that was for sure. He could remember when she had come in for her interview, nervous and quiet, but she had something unique that had prompted him to hire her...a sense of great potential, as if he could see her doing great things in the future.
"Are you sure there is nothing you need to tell me?"

She shuffled her feet and pretended to be very interested in the choice of carpet selection. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm fine...I admit I have been slacking off a bit lately, and I apologize, sir..."

"Well, you know you can do much better than that. I knew that from the first day you stepped into my office. So here's what I'm going to do. If you were any other punk kid, I would have either fired you or sent you to the Brooklyn office to let them kick some sense into you, but seeing as you just need some breathing room, I'm going to move up your two week vacation to tomorrow."

Rosalyn's face fell. She had planned to go back to California next month to visit family, and she couldn't go any sooner due to other people's schedules. Now she would have to wait until the 4th of July to go home, which was in two months.
"But Mr. Smith, I am right in the middle of that important inventory sales report and -"

"-and you will give the report information to Miss Markham. She will have to finish it up for you, and you will take her next report to make up for it. In the meantime, you will rethink your priorities and come back with a better understanding of corporate responsibility."

"---but, I..."

"You will need this to get back on track, and I think it is for the best. I had expected you to thank me, but I guess I was mistaken. I'm sorry to have disturbed your schedule. I will see you in two weeks, Miss Swift."
With that, he sent her out of the office.

Rosalyn shut the door angrily. He hadn't fired her, which was good, but he had done the next worse thing. She was already homesick, and she had nothing to do for two whole weeks. No doubt she needed some R&R, but that was what going home was for. And there was no way anyone could call New York peaceful.

As she stalked over to her cubicle, Audrey Markham, the only person who gave her the time of day in that office, flagged her down. Her green eyes possessed a look of concern and puzzlement.
"So, what'd the old geezer get mad at you for this time?" She gasped in mock horror. "Did you steal his stapler?"

Audrey was the closest person in age to Rosalyn, and they had become good friends after a copy machine incident on Rosalyn's first day at work. They never really talked other than at work though, because they lived on opposite sides of the city and it took 20 minutes to go 10 blocks on a good day.

Rosalyn laughed, but then made her hands into fists and slammed them on her desk.
"No, though I wish it had been that dumb. He's basically putting me on suspension, sending me to the proverbial corner to "think about what I've done"."
Prompted by the puzzled look on Audrey's face, she explained what Mr. Smith had said, but not without showing her disgust with the situation.

She began hastily throwing her things into her purse to leave, not before taking a big swig from her recently filled coffee mug.
"Aahh, that's a little better. Tell the coffee guy I love him right now."

Her friend smiled at the last comment, but it turned into a frown.
"Aw crud...I have MORE work and the only person who keeps me sane in here is leaving for two weeks?!" He's punishing me too, you know. Well, at least you can go do some things for yourself now, and spend a little time with Sam." With her mention of the name, she grinned.

Rosalyn sighed amusedly and socked Audrey on the shoulder.
"Ha. Ha. Ha...Yeah, I guess you're right. And it is only two weeks. At least it's not forever. But I will miss shooting paper clips into Johnson's cubicle and then pretending to have an intense discussion by the water cooler as he looks around acting all paranoid." she responded with a giggle. Being able to let off some steam with Audrey made her feel just a little better.

"And alas, I must leave you now, because they aren't paying me to stay and bother you. Adieu,"
She gathered her things and looked with mock importance upon her coworker. Not without bursting into laughter and drawing annoyed glances from the other employees, Rosalyn waved dramatically and walked toward the elevator to go home.
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I hope you guys like it...

I'M HERE!!!
Sorry it took me so long to get here weesha, but I've been so busy...

I love it so far, very descriptive. And very realistic too....gosh, I hope I don't end up with a job like that....staplers i ask you? hehehe, lol, rofl, and all that good stuff.

Great start licia...je l'adore!

i'm reading! me likes!

and i'm planing to kill a so called friend so;

BYE!

Thanks, guys...
Well, two people love me enough to read my story...never mind that both of them are my friends

Um...I think I shall post the first part of chapter two tomorrow.
I can't get online much today because my internet is acting all funky

*goes off to finish writing ch 5, start ch 6* Heh heh, I want a bit of cushion for when I can't write as much...

I need to advertise more...

ok, posting first part of ch 2 real quick, my mean sis is yelling at me to get off the internet (I've been on for only 15 min...):

~Chapter Two~
Rosalyn sat in her beat-up Toyota Corolla, wondering if the light would ever turn green. She was stuck in traffic, again. It happened every day, and she figured that she would get home faster by walking, considering that she lived only a mile and a half from her office. Her radio hated her at the moment, and had decided to play static.

Just then, a taxicab swerved into the lane right in front of her, barely missing her front bumper. Rosalyn honked her horn in irritation and yelled out her window.
"Jerk! Learn how to drive correctly! Didn't your mother ever teach you to stay in your own lane?"
She sighed and muttered in frustration as the moron flipped her off and swerved into the other lane just in front of another car.
"I am surrounded by idiots. And even worse, they are controlling 2,000 pound vehicles. God bless America!"
Fate, thy name is sadistic irony, she thought. Why had she come to this place, of all the places in the country, to "seek her fortune"? She had no idea at the moment. Everything happens for a reason though, she reassured herself. Something good had to happen in the near, no, most likely distant, future. And now she had two weeks to do what she had been daydreaming about since the start of that day's meeting: nothing. Well, that, sleeping, and meandering about the busy city.

She glanced out her window to see two gangs sizing each other up. Two of them were a little less than obviously engaged in a drug deal on the side. More than half of the group were very drunk. Horns echoed mercilessly throughout the traffic-laden streets, and a police siren could be heard not very far away.

The radio had changed its mind and turned to a comprehensible station. The sound of Rosalyn's favorite band came drifting through her car, breaking the annoyance of the outside noises. She turned it up and sang along with the song, one of her favorites due to its randomness factor:

When the toast is burned and all the milk has turned,
And Captain Crunch is waving farewell,
When the Big One finds you, let this song remind you
That they don't serve breakfast in Hell!

"The Newsboys have obviously never been to New York City..." she retorted, casting a thoughtful gaze at a nearby Bernie's Bagels/Krispy Kreme Doughnuts/Starbucks. She was in a rotten mood, which rarely came for her, but being practically alone in the midst of all these people was starting to take its toll on her.
Suddenly, the traffic started moving again and she was able to travel the two extra blocks to her apartment building.

~song credit: "Breakfast" by the Newsboys~

just letting you know i'm still reading!

great chappy!

bye! *runs of to do one of the other five million things she has to do* lol

Thank you Jewelz! At least you two appreciate me...anyways, here's the last part of that chapter (you get to meet your favorite character, Jewelz! ):

****************
The door to apartment number 426 opened and Rosalyn trudged in. It had taken her forever to find a spot in the parking garage, and it had been 2 stories above her floor. She sighed with relief as she gently closed the door behind her, tossed her keys onto the counter, and looked around the apartment. It seemed too calm and quiet compared to the chaos just outside the building.
"Sam...SAM?" she called impatiently. "Aren't you going to say hello? Or are you deciding to hate me too?"

A tiny gray kitten came bounding out from her bedroom and sat down in front of her, looking up cheerfully with his inquisitive lavender eyes. She had bought him for her Christmas present that year, and he was the smartest cat she had ever seen. He always seemed to know when something was the matter with her, and he had been an easy one to teach. She could have sworn that she saw him refill his food bowl by pushing it off of the counter and tugging on the opening a couple of times.

"Well good afternoon, sleepyhead. Guess what? I get to keep you company for the next two weeks. Aren't you excited?" Sam yawned as she said this, showing off his tiny white teeth.
"Uh huh, I thought so..." she mumbled as she collapsed on her couch, too tired to move.

"Hey Sam, anybody call me?" Rosalyn asked faintly.

The kitten, who had perched himself on the top of the couch, leaped onto the counter and pawed at the answering machine. He sat down triumphantly and listened as it turned on.

"YOU HAVE ONE MESSAGE...BEEP!"
"Hey Rose, It's Alex..." She smiled at the mention of her nickname and the friendly voice.

"I just called to see how you were doing and all that...I had hoped to talk to you in person, well, on the phone, but I'm stupid and I called you when you're supposed to be at work...duh!"
He laughed nervously. He was never really that good with talking on the phone.

"Well, Scotland's great, and yes, to answer your question, it is very green. Oh, and this guy kept asking me if I knew what time it was...I almost died laughing because it reminded me of your whole "Pippin saying 'not this time'" thing. No sign of the Loch Ness monster yet, but I don't expect to see it anyways, I just have to write a convincing "sight encounter" for my thesis...aka B.S."
Alex laughed again, but then his tone turned more serious.

"I just wish you were here too, it gets kind of boring having Movie Marathon Mondays by myself...I know it's only been a few days, but I miss Sam already, you know? Tell him hi for me, will ya? Thanks, you're a doll. Oh, and I miss you too, of course." he snickered.
He was lucky that he was too far away for her to slug him, but it was cute, so she let it slide.

"We still have to go check out Stonehenge and some "suspicious cairns", so I won't be back for another week and a half. Oops, this is international, so I probably spent like twenty dollars talking to your answering machine...oh well...aye, I guess I will see you later, lassie. Good lord, I'm talking like them too now..."
She could hear him smack his head against the wall, laughing softly. "Bye, see you in a couple weeks!"

Rose grinned and laughed too, which she had been doing throughout the message. She could always count on Alex to care. Alexander Milton (he had cruel ancestors for having a last name like that, which she had never let him forget) was a twenty-four year old mythology major who was working on his master's degree. His professor often had random "field trips" that sent him off around Europe researching different legends and myths, and she knew Alex loved it. She had (literally) run into him in an old run-down bookstore, as he was poring over an ancient book, two days after she had moved to New York. After laughing hysterically and helping each other up, they had started talking as if they had known each other forever. He was like the best friend that she never had back home, the kind of guy she could tell anything to, have intelligent conversations with, and have random silly string fights with all in the same day.

"Well, at least we know who he likes better then, eh? Well, you ARE cute, I don't blame him." she said as she got up to eat something, mussing up Sam's fur. He responded with an innocent "Mew?" and hopped down to join her at the table.

After enjoying a bowl of Spaghettios and perusing the newspaper, she returned to the couch and laid down. Her fingers wandered over to the remote and she turned her stereo down enough so she could just barely hear it. As always, the gray ball of fur was curled up in her lap seconds later and purring away contentedly. Rose stroked his soft fur and smiled.

"Don't you leave me, Samwise Gamgee..." she whispered. His name had been a result of her ever-present obsession with the Lord of the Rings. The kitten reminded her of Sam because he never left her side, which at first she thought bizarre for a cat, but then she got used to it.

"Guess we'd better get started on that nap then."
She yawned and closed her eyes. Within minutes she was fast asleep, and all that could be heard were broken fragments of the song lyrics playing quietly on the stereo.

We were meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?...somewhere we live inside...
Dreaming about providence and whether mice or men have second tries...
Maybe we've been living with our eyes half open, maybe we're bent and broken...
We want more than this world's got to offer...we were meant to live...

~movie credit: The Fellowship of the Ring~
~song credit: "Meant to Live" by Switchfoot~

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Sam's so cute! I just have this mental image of this tiny gray kitten with these BIG lavender eyes and fur that poofs in every direction! kitties are the cutest! lol

and ALEX! woot! *does the happy dance* me liiiiiiiikes Alex... I mean Alex? Alex who? Alexander H. Milton? hehehehehe

oh yea, THAT Alex

so, i'm confused, is my fav character Sam the kitten or Alex the super cool guy friend

lol jk jk (but Sam's a close second!! lol hahaha)

ur stuff's great licia; why didn't you do this b4 hmm? lol

laters

lol, I don't know, I didn't have an idea for a story before now...or when I wrote it...
Thanks, by the way...you're my only faithful reader... I am so grateful that at least one person is reading it, better than none

Speaking of, where the heck did Nefuldiniel go? *looks around confusedly* oh well, she'll come back sometime...I hope...

Anyways, I think I might post the first part of chapter 3 tomorrow

And for those of you (if there are any) who are reading this but don't leave comments, and are expecting to see Legolas anytime soon due to the promise in my signature, you're going to have to wait until chapter 5 *grins mischeviously*

Maybe no one likes my story but Jewelz and Nefuldiniel... so unloved, lol just kidding...or maybe I should do the whole "if you write it, they will come" thing...*sighs*

Here it is, the beginning of the fun chapter...heh heh..."the plot thickens"

~Chapter Three~
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE…
Rose groaned as she rolled over and turned off her alarm clock. Sam got up from the foot of her bed, stretched, then turned and hissed at the evil machine. Neither of them were very morning-friendly.

“You can say that again…” she mumbled after Sam’s unfriendly response.
She turned to go back to sleep, but thought better of it since it was already 9:30 in the morning.

Rose rummaged through her closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tank top. After stumbling into the bathroom and spending some time to look somewhat presentable, she groggily made her way to the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of coffee. Sam followed and watched his owner with a newfound amusement as Rose sprang to life with the aid of caffeine.

“Ok, you…” she said absent-mindedly as she kept walking between the kitchen and the living room, trying to get ready.
“I am going to go out today and find the most interesting places to go in this city to mark the beginning of this so-called vacation. Now you be good and take care of yourself while I’m go…agh!”
Rose fell on the floor after a failed attempt to put her shoes on while balancing on the arm of the couch and reading the newspaper at the same time. She picked herself up and laughed while Sam just sat there with a quizzical look in his eyes. It was a surprise to Rose that he put up with her sometimes.

“Um, heh, while I’m gone.” she continued, munching on a Pop Tart. “And I want you to stop scaring the old lady downstairs by sitting on the balcony and making those weird caterwauling noises.”
He gave her a “Who? ME?” look.

“Yeah buddy, I know about that. Very funny.”

Finally ready, Rose made sure all the doors were locked before she picked up her bag and headed towards the door.
“I don’t know when I will be home, so don’t sit here crying for me expecting me to be back, ok? Clinginess does not become you, as a cat, you know. Jeez, I swear, you should have been born a dog…and look what you’re doing to me - I am talking to my cat - something people would consider borderline psychotic.”

She was almost out the door when she heard a strange “Mrrmphh?” that caused her to turn around.
There sat Sam, with her car keys dangling from his mouth.

“Whoops, those would be a good thing, wouldn’t they? What would I do without you?” Rose grinned proudly as she patted the kitten on the head. She then turned and went out the door to start her day of relaxation - a thing she most desperately needed.

**********

awwwwww Sam sure is handy to have around lol

okay, here's the rest...this is where stuff actually happens, lol. The other stuff was just intro/establishing characters etc. Heh heh, I had FUN writing this part :

**********
“Flowers! Buy our fresh-cut flowers! Perfect for any occasion, only $12.50!”

The vendor stood on the corner of a busy street, trying to get the equally busy people’s attention as they hurried this way and that down the sidewalk. All except a young woman with blond hair that somewhat resembled a rock star’s seemed to have somewhere important to be. She slowly made her way down the street, gazing into the windows of the small shops and sipping her caramel frappaccino.

“Excuse me, miss? Would you like to buy a flower?” He shoved his inventory under her nose for her to see. Rose looked up at the realization that he was talking to her, and blushed slightly.

“Oh, no thank you…I’m just wandering around, not planning to buy anything really.”

The vendor wasn’t about to give up. “But a pretty girl such as yourself deserves a flower…here, take a look at this. It’s a new breed, recently discovered growing right here in new York.” He plucked an exotic-looking flower from his basket. It was by far the most beautiful plant she had ever seen.

“Wow…” she seemed entranced by the strange flower. “You say this grows here? It’s amazing…”

“Yes, it is a wonder…so…you interested?”

“Sorry, I don’t really have a need for one. Plus, my cat is allergic to flowers…thanks anyway.” she said as she continued down the sidewalk and went back to her dreamy window shopping.

“But miss! Oh, forget it…Flowers! Buy your fresh-cut flowers here!…” his voice faded as she got farther down the street. She yawned slightly after finishing her frappaccino and tossing it into a nearby garbage can. Rose hadn’t really been to the downtown section of New York City before, and she found it all fascinating. They had the coolest little shops just sitting there, waiting for her to explore them. She just had to find the good ones that were hard to find.

As if on cue, she caught sight of a small run-down place called the “Curiosity Shoppe”. Rose would never have noticed it if she hadn’t been paying attention - it was scrunched between two large stores and from the shabby looks of the display window, it appeared as if it had just been a storage room. The only clue that it was a store was the fact that a man (who obviously was a tourist) had just left the store with a look of wonder on his face. The look fell, however, when he noticed that his car had a flat tire, and he began cursing angrily.

Rose felt sorry for him as she got nearer to the store entrance and saw the look on his face. As the man bent down to nurse the tire, she noticed something very odd. The cause of the flat was protruding from the tire, and after a couple seconds she realized that it was an arrow.
“Huh…weird…”
But hey, this was New York, so hardly anything surprised her anymore.

“Man, I have got to get out of this psycho city soon…” she muttered as she entered the store.

“Be careful vat you vish for.” a creepy Romanian female voice replied.

Rose shrieked in surprise and jumped back, but then began to laugh when she discovered that it was only one of those cheapo fortune teller robot machines that little kids would stick their change in to get their fortunes told. She had walked right in front of it and it had triggered the motion detector voice chip. This caused her to make a mental note to pay attention to where she was going. Rose turned around to look at the room she had walked into, and her jaw dropped.

And what a curiosity this shop was…

From the ceiling to the floor, the walls of the store were covered with medieval-looking paintings and suits of what she guessed to be armor. All kinds of axes, swords, spears, and daggers were either on stands or displayed on tables around the room, but none like she had ever seen before. The designs on some of the armor and weapons reminded her of Celtic ones.

Maybe it was some kind of neo-military surplus store or something, she thought. Several people had also stumbled into this odd place and were looking around in awe at the bizarre inventory. A strange looking old man stood behind the counter in a sort of brown cloak, and appeared to be studying a huge manuscript.

Rose made her way around the store, looking in amazement at all the different weapons. This was definitely the highlight of her day. She looked over an intricately carved spear. Nah, though it would be ridiculously random and cool to have in my apartment, the landlady might be a little suspicious of my sanity if she saw me carrying around a huge spear, she told herself.

By this time, only a couple of people were left in the store, but Rose ignored them. What had really caught her attention was a single long dagger lying on one of the tables. It stood out from everything else - a leaf-shaped blade with serpent-like forms snaking across it, inlaid with red and gold. The hilt was set with several fiery stones and had the most detailed artwork that Rose had ever seen (of the few weapons she did see, that is). She drew the dagger out of its black sheath and was surprised by how light and yet how strong the metal was.

As she was looking at the dagger, it seemed to come to life in her hands. Ancient letters looking to be made of fire appeared, danced across the mirror-like surface of the metal, and came to rest as if displaying a message. Rose blinked and stared in disbelief.
“Whoa…” She squinted as she studied the letters. Her eyes lit up as she recognized them.
“It appears to be some form of elvish…” she quoted amusedly. She felt kind of like Frodo when he was staring at the One Ring, minus the whole “my precious” part.

Using her knowledge of the elvish alphabet (which she had learned in high school when she decided she wanted to learn how to write in it) and a good ten minutes, she managed to piece together what it said. It made no sense to her though.

“Whence comes knocking from each side…and on each to escape holds intense desire…then the two realms will collide…and a stranger’s dreams will be reached ever higher…oh great…a rhyming riddle…” she said under her breath. Rose repeated the rhyme over several times thoughtfully, but still didn’t understand what it could mean.

Taking a moment to look around, she realized that she was the only one left in the store, and it had grown strangely quiet. Even the old man running the store was gone, most likely in the back getting something.

No…it wasn’t exactly quiet. She could hear what sounded like whispering, and it was getting louder. Straining her ears, Rose realized that it was elvish that she was hearing. She couldn’t understand a word of it, but she knew that something strange was happening.

A gust of wind surrounded her as the whispering turned into chanting, spinning around her like a tornado. She barely had time to give a yelp of surprise when the room also began spinning. All Rose heard was a strange “whoosh” noise before she was knocked over and tumbled onto uneven ground, the dagger still clutched in her hands.

~movie/book credit: The Fellowship of the Ring~
(Disclaimer: The dagger is not my creation, but J.R.R. Tolkien's. I got it from the book The Fellowship of the Ring. However, the way I described it is my own, I only got the general idea from the book.)

hmmmmmm *ponders*

what was with the flower anyway? hmmm

great chappy, laters!

Great chapters Licia! Sorry I haven't responded in so long, but I've been tres busy...lovin' the story though....

You're back! Yay!

I'm glad you guys like it. I don't think I will post any more this week...I think that if another person comments (other than you two, lol), it might put me in a good enough mood to post chapter 4...

cool...:runs off to get Lessy and Matt: I'll force them to read your story....

...uh...I don't want to force anyone to read it...but ok...I guess I won't feel as bad if you do it

Hmm, someone wants to read the next chapter...lol heck, I wrote it and I would want to...it's where - - - oh, I don't want to spoil it, heh heh

sorry if I sound whiny or annoying to anyone...I just would like feedback from people other than my two friends (they wouldn't be able to break it to me if they thought it sucked, lol)

Licia, you can rest assured that if your story sucked, I'd be the first to tell you. But it doesn't, so you don't have anything to worry about . You need a confident booster...

Thanks dude(tte) ...I'm glad it doesn't suck...

Argh, I am in a kind of block right now because I have to finish a part with lots of talking and though it is important, it is tres boring . I want to get to the fun part!

More soon, I don't know exactly when...but soon my friends. Possibly Sunday...

I am feeling generous at the moment, so I will post more just because I care.

~Chapter 4~

Rose slowly and painfully lifted herself up off the ground. As she stood up, she noticed that she was no longer in the store, but standing in the middle of a clearing. It was nighttime and pitch black outside, but once her eyes adjusted to the faint starlight, Rose saw that the forest around her was dark itself. The trees were close together and looked very old.

“What the…? Well Rose, you’re not in Kansas anymore…” she said with a puzzled look on her face. Picking up the dagger, she began to wander in a circle, trying to figure out in her mind how the heck she had ended up here.

At first the only sound that she could hear was that of crickets, but after Rose had paced back and forth for a good five minutes, the sound of a snapping twig startled her. It sounded like she wasn’t alone.

“Um, hello? Is anybody there?!?” she called out nervously.

The sound of leaves crunching got closer and closer. There was definitely more than one thing out there. Rose peered into the darkness and saw many dark shapes moving towards her. Too afraid to move, she waited to see what it was. As the shapes got closer, she could hear grunting and the clank of metal.

When they got close enough for her to see, Rose gasped. They were extremely ugly, monster-like creatures with matted hair and fearsome teeth. They were dressed in gray and carried crude bows and swords. Unable to believe her eyes, she realized that these things were Uruk-hai. She estimated there were at least fifty of them.

Rose stared in amazement, but then noticed that they were still moving closer and meant to harm her somehow. She turned and ran in the opposite direction, but they were coming from behind her too.
“Agh!” she shrieked as she whirled around and ran in another direction, any direction…but it was too late.

They had surrounded her, and were closing in slowly. Terrified, she stuck out the dagger to defend herself, but she had no idea how to fight. She sunk to the ground and curled up into a ball, hoping they would just leave her alone.

“Help me! Someone…anyone!” she called out hopelessly, then raised her head. The Uruk-hai were almost upon her, smiling evilly as they reached out to get her.

All of a sudden, an arrow shot out from the darkness and hit one of the ugly creatures right in the chest. It gave out a startled cry before it slumped to the ground, dead. The rest stopped and looked around in confusion for the unseen attacker.

There was a strange whistling sound, then a figure dropped from the tree right above her, took her by the shoulders, and rolled with her out of the dangerous circle. She was then picked up and put behind a huge shrub several feet away. Rose had no time to see who her rescuer was because the person jumped right back into the circle of Uruk-hai and began fighting them off.

She squatted behind the bush and peeked out from the leaves, still in shock. She couldn’t see much in the dark, but could hear cries and the clash of weapons. Letting out a sigh of relief, she counted her blessings that someone had been there to help her. She hated feeling weak, but there was no way she had a chance against those big ugly creatures.

Suddenly a large shape darted out in front of the bush. It was a white horse…strangely familiar, though she couldn’t place where she had seen it before. The rider took it right into the middle of the battle and began swinging away at the enemies.

“I’ve got to get out of here…” she said under her breath as the fighting continued. After finding a safe-looking direction far away from the battle, Rose began to run as fast as she could, dodging branches and jumping over rocks. One of the Uruk-hai that had better hearing jerked its head in her direction and took off running to pursue her.

Rose ran until her lungs and legs burned like fire, then stopped from exhaustion. Surely she was safe now, for she could hear nothing but the faint sound of fighting. She had stopped in a denser part of the woods and now leaned sideways against a tree, gasping for air.

“This has got to be some sort of nightmare,” she tried to convince herself. But this was too real…

Rose started to get up, but the last thing she knew was a dull blast of pain on the back of her head from where the Uruk-hai had just hit her with the butt of its sword. Then everything went dark.

GAHHHH NOOOOOO lemme at em!! *punches air menicingly*

ohhhhhh if only i could spell *dreamy sigh* hehehe

interesting chap fris....hmmm *ponders* where could she possibly be i wonder lol