The Traveler

Disclaimer: All belongs to Tolkien except for my character Roslyn – she is my own creation and is not meant to resemble anyone else's OC in any way.

Author's Note: Alright, it's been a LONG time since I've written anything so I hope you all like this. Also, I'm in the middle of my residency so updates may be slow – please try to stick with me haha!

Chapter 1: Steel

Roslyn watched the elf in front of her as he led her horse along. His beautiful chestnut hair swayed in the breeze as they made their way through the field and towards Mirkwood forest. She glanced up at the blue summer sky and thought back to her past several months in Middle Earth. After the portal between Earth and Middle Earth was discovered several years ago, all travel was severely restricted to dignitaries only. Roslyn never dreamed that she would be one of the lucky few to not only voyage to this new world, but one of the first to visit with the three major elf lords.

At only 27 years of age, she had recently graduated from Stanford with a PhD in political science and managed to secure herself a position at the United Nations. She was smart and a quick and eager learner so when the chance came up to study elven culture, she jumped at it. Her first stop was in Lothlórien where she met the Lady of Light herself. Galadriel's kingdom was breathtaking – like something out of a dream. She spent her time learning elvish, proper etiquette, and even some history of the elves. She was sad when it came time to leave, but excited at the prospect of visiting Rivendell.

Roslyn's stay at Rivendell was maybe even more enlightening. She began learning the language, and even though it was difficult, she could now pick up certain words and phrases. She spent time studying and exploring the beautiful city with Lord Elrond. He even convinced her to try her hand at horseback riding. Given her uncertainty and fear of heights, it ended with her falling unceremoniously on her behind. Which is why her Rivendell escort was now leading her steed rather than riding beside her.

"We are nearly at the border," he announced with his head turned slightly towards her.

She only nodded in acknowledgement. A small ripple of fear spread through her. Unlike the last two places, Roslyn wasn't so sure about Mirkwood. The great elven king Thranduil seemed less than pleased with having her as a visitor. She had heard many tales about him – his cold and calculating personality, his fierce loyalty to his people, and his skill as an expert warrior. She hoped her shy and sensitive personality wouldn't lead to her embarrassing herself in front of him.

Then there were the woods themselves. The once magnificent Greenwood the Great was now festering with spiders, orcs, and who knew what else. They had a bit of a trek ahead of them before reaching their destination and she could only pray for safe passage.

Roslyn stared at the formidable woods before her as they paused at the entrance. She noticed her companion grip the hilt of his sword with his free hand and the anxiety settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach. They moved forward.

…

Several hours later, Roslyn was ready to head back to Rivendell. The air was oppressing and the sun seemed to have been swallowed up by the towering trees.

How can anyone live in a place like this? She thought.

"Are we almost there?"

"Nearly my lady."

Another half hour went by and then suddenly, they came to a halt. The elf cocked his head to the side and listened. Roslyn's head swiveled in every direction but she could see and hear nothing. Quick as lightening he released the reigns and pulled out his sword. Whipping around he swung down hard and before she knew what was happening, Roslyn was covered in orc blood. She screamed as a group of orcs materialized seemingly out of nowhere, the evil forest masking their presence.

Her companion mowed through the group like it was nothing, but she was panicked, not knowing what to do. A whistle sounded through the air and to her horror, the elf was struck with an arrow right through the chest. He paused, taking in a confused breath, before spinning around to strike down another orc.

"Ride!" He yelled at her. "Ride as fast as you can! They will find you."

His breath was labored now and his eyes were wild as he tried to slay as many of the foul beasts as he could.

Without another thought, Roslyn grabbed the reigns and set her horse at a gallop. She let him run wherever he chose to take her. She could not see through the stream of tears flowing freely and her heart throbbed agonizingly for her protector.

Without warning she was flying through the air. She met the uneven ground with a painful thud, the tree roots and rocks digging into her body and scraping her skin. Glancing behind her she could just make out the back of her horse taking off through the forest. She groaned as she pushed herself up.

Roslyn felt her heart stop as a pair of gruesome hands grabbed her arms viciously. She was spun around to face the most horrid looking creature she had ever laid eyes on. She tried to scream but nothing came out as the orc leered at her. His nails dug into her arms and drew blood as she tried to fight free.

"Well aren't you a pretty little thing?"

Her mouth went dry at his chilling words and before she could realize what was happening he was tearing at her dress. She lost her footing as he roughly shoved her backwards, sending her hurling at the ground once more. She felt her head collide with a rock and she gingerly touched the spot with her fingers. Her ears were ringing and she saw stars. Roslyn felt nauseous as she looked at the blood now covering her fingertips. There were strange sounds all around her now but she was disoriented and confused. Another splash of cold and more orc blood covered her once beautiful dress. She turned and emptied the contents of her stomach as her hands gripped at the dirt. A small sob escaped her lips as her vision went in and out.

Roslyn let herself fall back against the ground. She soon felt cool, strong hands gently lifting her head. Her eyes opened long enough to gaze into endless pools the color of steel before they fluttered shut again.

A/N:

Alright, what do you all think so for? I know it's a bit short, but hopefully the other chapters will be longer. I have some ideas, but I'm not quite sure where this story is headed yet so I'm just going to see where it takes me. Anyway please review!

No flames.