DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters, places, or items invented by J.R.R. Tolkien used in this story.

The car wound along the highway, rain pounding the roof as Marian turned her music up. She glanced down at her long, summery dress and sniffed. So much for a sunny picnic. But, she supposed, the great thing about making plans for only herself is that she could cancel at the drop of a hat without being rude. As she squinted through the windshield, however, she knew nobody in their right minds would keep picnic plans now. There was simply too much rain…

The downpour was so aggressive now that Marian started to think she might pull over and wait it out. Right as she had the thought, something flashed through her headlights- she had a split second of surprise, and then- CRASH!

Her head was thrown forward, wheel jerked from hand, as the animal collided with her car. She swerved, side door caving in as the car connected with the trunk of a large tree.

It could have been mere minutes, or perhaps hours, until she opened her eyes. A sharp, thudding pain in her head was the first thing she noticed. And another, less familiar sensation; a feeling of her consciousness slipping away…

With a gasp, Marian came to. She was lying on a mossy forest floor, surrounded by thick trees. She touched a shaking hand to her temple, fingers coming away bloody. It was a funny thing though- there was no pain anymore. Shouldn't her head hurt or something after a crash like that? Marian sat up, craning her neck to see through the leafy canopy stretching out above her head. It seemed brighter than it should be, considering the rain that was just pouring down. And, she thought, how did she even end up in these woods? There were trees around- she knew this for sure after crashing into one- but certainly not a forest like this. Perhaps, Marian thought, growing apprehensive, perhaps she had woken up and gotten out of her car. Then apparently walked for some time, collapsed, and didn't remember any of it. Could that happen?

Marian jumped to her feet with a jolt as a horn sounded through the forest, shattering the silence. Then it rang out again, and again, until she no longer startled at the noise. Someone must be blowing the horn, she reasoned, which meant that's the way she would travel. Marian began picking her way through the trees, glad that she had chosen to wear simple shoes earlier that day. As she grew closer to the source of the horn, Marian heard a commotion. It sounded like many people thundering through the forest, with strange clanging noises- and lots of yelling. She stopped, uncertain. Was this some sort of fight? Before she could decide which way to turn, the trees before her rustled, and something burst through.

Marian had been wrong- it was not people who were thundering through the forest. She screamed as she took in the sight of a snarling, ugly monster, bearing a white handprint across its face. It advanced as she tripped backward, mouth stretched wide and eyes popping in silent horror.

"A woman," the thing spoke in a menacing, gravelly voice. "We did not know a woman travelled with them."

It was right in front of her now, and a hand shot out to grab her throat. Marian choked as the monster observed her face. Yellow eyes glinted, standing out from its dark skin and black, matted hair.

"Pity," it said, and drew a dagger.

Marian felt the blade pierce her side with a heavy impact, a strange burning sensation spreading throughout her body seconds later. She screamed again, and the thing laughed, releasing its grip on her throat. Marian slumped to the ground as the monster ran back into the trees. Her mind was blank with shock. She felt numbly along the hilt of the dagger, wondering if she should pull it out. Before she could do anything further, the shouts beyond the trees grew louder, and she rocked forward onto her knees, catching herself with one hand while the other clutched her side. Whatever was going on, she wanted to be far, far away from it. Far away from any more of those things.

She attempted to rise to her feet, but another wave of nauseating pain swept over her. Crawl, she thought through the haze that had descended on her brain. If you can't walk, crawl. It was slow going, but inch by inch, Marian crawled one-handed away from the noise until it had faded completely. After some time- Marian didn't know how long it had been, only that her vision was starting to bloom with black spots- the sound of rushing water reached her ears. And then, a short moment later, voices. She stopped, intending to turn back, until the realization came that these were not the voices of the monsters. They sounded like humans, and that was all the motivation Marian needed to hoist herself to her feet using a nearby tree.

As she emerged onto the riverbank, their conversation halted as one of them cried out, apparently sighting her. A pair of strong hands gripped her free arm as she stumbled forward. Her gaze met a pair of blue eyes. It was a man, and she noticed with a strange clarity that he had tear tracks glistening through the dirt on his face. She started to slip from his grasp as her legs lost their strength. The man caught her again and lowered her gently onto the rocks. He took in the sight of her wound, blood soaking her dress.

"Lady, who did this?" He asked, brow creased in concern.

Her mouth trembled. "A monster," She whispered. "It said- it said I was travelling… with them. A woman."

A cough wracked her body, and the man pressed his hand to her side. Another man appeared in her field of vision, one with much fairer skin. He crouched next to her, and she saw his ears were decidedly pointy.

"Aragorn, who is she?"

The other man, Aragorn, touched a hand to Marian's face. "Lady, how did you come by these woods?" he asked gently.

Marian felt as though her body were becoming lighter.

"I- I think I'm dying!" She said wildly, hand flying out as if to hang on to something solid and prevent her soul from drifting away. The one with fair skin caught her hand and she gripped it tightly. These were the last people on earth who would see her alive- this much Marian was sure of. As strange waves of lightness swept over her, Marian's eyes darted back and forth between the two people crouched before her.

"R-remember me," she murmured. "Mari… Mari-"

As the lightness took her, Marian's vision cleared of black and all faded into a white light.