Edge of Night

1.1 Advena's Intro to Middle Earth

I knew I was dreaming. The flashes of green hills and farmland were built from my imagination, but I didn't mind. I walked among the sheep and down the dirt paths, smiling at the small people I encountered. As if teleported, I became aware of another place, close by. A cart was coming up the road, and the driver, clad in grey, stopped at the top of the rise. I barely caught a glimpse of a small, dark-haired boy jumping onto the cart as I saw fireworks explode above a lake. It was night, and throngs of people danced and sang. A giant berry-clad cake filled an entire table. I was aware of the laughter and the smell of the outdoors. A red, sparkling dragon roared above the crowd and the sky glowed red as if caught aflame. It was a merry, simple place that only exists in the hearts of gentle people...

~~~

I was first conscious of the sun. It was in those moments of waking where you aren't fully aware of the suffering of life, just the pleasure of sleep and that strangely unfamiliar feeling that is the absence of tension. 

The warmth covered me everywhere, and as my eyes gently opened, I could see the trees swaying gently above me. That was when alarm began to bloom in my chest.

Sitting quickly up, I surveyed my surroundings while I desperately tried to recall how I had come to be there. Gorgeous forest was on all sides, yet something was completely wrong. I sat propped up next to a twisting oak, which was covered romantically by soft moss at its base. My body was clothed in my white nightgown; my feet covered by the wool socks my grandmother had made for me. 

I was beyond confused, and felt more scared by the minute. With one more glance around, I got to my feet and began to explore the area. The trees were tall, but not too dense. I could see low hills to the north and west, so I continued east through the forest to flatter ground. The air was mild, though I longed for a jacket in my thin dress. There was bird song, but none that I recognized. This made me all the more restless.

I followed a vague trail through the trees, taking note of the subtle differences from my home landscape. How could I come to be so far from home with no notion of how it happened? I thought to myself. The trail- if it could be called that- was leading my increasingly south, and it wasn't long before I broke out of the tree line to see a well beaten path, perhaps a half mile from the wood. At least I know that there are people here, I thought grimly, scanning the open plain. There wasn't much to see, beyond some lush grasses and the occasional tree, so I began to follow the road east. 

By the time the sun was overhead, I was beginning to worry about different things. It doesn't matter where I am or how I got here if I don't get any water to drink. Water was the main concern, but my stomach was eager to remind me of it's need, as well as the aching of my thinly clad feet. In the hours that passed, I saw many birds and once a small pack of horses, grazing in the distance. But no humans.

The sun was beginning to set, and I was feeling rather desperate. I had walked all day, with only a couple of breaks to massage my feet. I had discovered a sunburn forming across my face, but there was no way to shade it from the sun. At least the setting sun has one use, I groused to myself. It was during my grumblings at the sunset that I became aware of a soft rushing sound ahead of me.

Finally, coming to my senses, I began to walk faster towards the noise. I didn't trust my constitution to hold with running, but I hurried my way towards the wide river that came into view. It felt like an age before I was falling to my knees on the dark pebbles and greedily scooping the cold water into my mouth. Only once I was sated did I notice the growing darkness. 

Suddenly, there was a brushing of grasses on the opposite bank. My gaze snapped up to see a slender figure standing there, darkly silhouetted against the sinking sun. I couldn't see much save their height, which was noticable. In their hands was a bow, but it wasn't drawn. I understood after a moment that they had meant for me to notice them. 

A melodious voice sounded from them, saying something I couldn't understand. Definity female, then, I thought to myself, rising to my feet. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I can't understand what you've said. Do you speak English? Or parles française? I'm very lost and I need help..." I babbled, trying to make out more of the stranger across the river.

She shook her head briefly, clearly not understanding me. I sighed in frustration, feeling the awkwardness of failed communication. She called to me again, but I shook my head. After a moment, she motioned up the river and took a few steps, trying to communicate with me. I took a few steps up river, and she nodded and continued to walk. At her whistle, a dark horse rode to her side, but she didn't mount. Rather, she lead the horse as we walked up river.

I wonder where she's taking me, I thought tensely, casting another glance across the river. I couldn't make out more than her movement and the occasional glint of metal from her bow. As we made our way up river, she would call to me, making sure that I was still there. The darkness was oppressive and absolute, but there were uncountable stars overhead. I had never seen so many stars in the sky all at once before. 

It was fully dark when we came to a bridge. It was wooden, but clearly well maintained. As I stepped onto it, a light appeared at the other end. I could see the woman's face illuminated by a torch as she came towards me, and I suddenly was conscious of her incredible beauty. Round grey eyes gazed at me curiously and dark hair moved in the night breeze. I could only imagine how I looked to her, sunburned and ragged. She stopped a few paces in front of me and smiled kindly. She tried speaking again, but it was nothing to me. In the light of her torch, I could see a wooden sign hanging from the railing which read "Bruinen". She motioned for me to follow her, which I did, but as she turned, I stopped dead. My stomach turned and I felt slightly faint as I looked at her ears, which were delicate and sharply pointed at the tops. Humans don't have ears like that.

She turned back to me once she realized I wasn't following and gave me a reassuring smile. "This can't be real, but I really don't have a choice," I murmured. She only looked at me curiously as I fell into step beside her. Soon we had reached the other side where her horse stood, tall and dark in the night. With some unintelligible words, she motioned for me to get on the horse, which I barely managed with her help. My dress rode up embarrassingly high, but she didn't seem to mind as she left the extinguished torch at the bridge and mounted the horse behind me. She handed me a piece of bread from her bag, which I took gratefully. I took my first bite of food that day and she called sharply to the horse, taking me further into the unknown.