Disclaimer: Everything you recognize regarding middle-earth belongs to J.R.R Tolkien

Chapter 2

Meg's heart began to go crazy, beating harder than it ever had before. Then very slowly she raised her hands in a sign of peace, lifting her head to see who held the weapon. "What's going on? Please put that down!" She meant her voice to sound even or at least audible. The words, however, were pushed back in her throat when she saw that the man had long, sun-bleached hair and confused blue eyes. She also noticed a fierce bearded little man with an axe, looking as if he knew how to use it. A tall gray-bearded man with a tattered old gray cloak and wide, brimmed hat was holding a wooden stick. His eyes were unreadable. There were also two men, one tall with dark brown hair and a rugged face, creased with worry lines. The other looked almost the same, but younger with lighter hair and fewer worries. A horn hung from his side. In the group he and the blond man recovered their composure first. They were not fast enough, though, because Meg only gave the younger man a pleading look before fainting into blackness.

When Meg woke up she was sitting against a tree, a blanket wrapped around her. It had become a clear cold night. There was a fire to her right. She moved her head slightly in that direction. The same people she had seen earlier were around the fire along with four smaller figures, their faces covered by the night shadow. She must have made a noise without realizing it. Suddenly the blonde man came over to her tree. He bent to her eye level, still looking concerned, Meg knew he was saying something to her because his lips were moving. But all she saw were the pointy ears with the blond hair tucked behind them. Despite all logic her throat went dry. Licking her lips, she whispered, "Prince Legolas?" The prince looked as if she had just slapped him in the face. But before he said anything, she put up a hand and asked, still in a whisper, " Please bring Gandalf over here. I really need to talk to him."

By this time everyone was looking at her. As the prince backed away from Meg slowly, Gandalf came carefully forward. Suddenly Meg felt very weak as she looked up at the old wizard. She moved her finger towards herself, and he knelt down so her lips were close to his ear. "I don't know what's happened. Usually in my dreams you all know me. But I will pretend for now that this is not a dream. My name is Meg. I come from a land that is not on your maps. I am 15 years old and I am not able to use my legs. Asking me to stand or walk when day comes will be pointless. I am sorry. I am not an enemy, although I know the Eye hunts you, looking for the ring that Frodo carries. I can not tell you how I know this. If I did, it would put the quest in too much danger. I do not know how I got here. This is probably a dream, although it feels way too realistic. I hope that answers most of your questions."

She lost her breath while she was saying this, trying to speak before Gandalf said anything and trying to whisper although she knew it was pointless. An elf and a ranger were listening. Still not able to read the wizard's eyes, she squeezed his hand desperately, as if that would make him believe her. After that Gandalf seemed to come alive again. He had been completely still listening intensely to every word." Rest, my girl. You will be safe tonight. We will talk in the morning." These words brought comfort to Meg as she drifted gratefully off to sleep.