Chapter 1; Who am I Again?:

Hello LOTR fandom.

Full Summary: When Hattie O'Connor woke up in a forest with few memories and a talking dog, she had several questions. When she saw the Elvish writing stuck on her back, she had a few more. But she knew something odd was definitely going on when she sees a man with pointed ears and a bow spying on her while bathing. And when that Elvish Prince refuses to leave her side, things only get worse. Gummy bears, elf whistles, unsuccessful boating tours, descending madness and Middle Earth aphrodisiacs ensue as Hattie gets lost and wanders in a world stranger than she could have ever imagined…

Warning: Swearing, violence, dark themes, sexual themes, and even more violence and shameless culture references. The OC will change the plot meaningfully enough to accommodate a tenth walker who commits their own heroics and sins, she will not steal lines, and while she won't sit on the side lines of a fight she is not invincible. I will be keeping close to the extended movies, but I've read the books and have them close at hand, so some of the book's bits and pieces might be tossed in as well. And though I'm not a perfect Tolkien expert but I strive to please. If you come across errors or blunders or grammatical eyesores, please give constructive criticism so I may correct my mistakes and go hide in my corner of shame.

Side note: If you love these tenth walker, hot elven infatuations with future references, then you're among friends, I'm a fan of them too. If you're sick of these kinds of stories, I completely understand. But I am not going to be apologetic or bash myself for writing a tenth walker story. I love these kinds of stories, and I always wanted to write one! So, this is my shot at it. Like everyone else who writes these things I'm going to try to make it as interesting as possible and accommodate the story to have that whole Earth girl lost in Legolas-land be a bit more substantial.

So please, without further delay, enjoy!

~:o:0:o:~

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

The first thing Hattie thought when she woke up was how in the world she knew her name was Hattie. It was a silly and old fashioned name, and if she had to choose a name for herself it would be something classier like Heather or Elizabeth. But no, she knew her name was Hattie. She guessed that was okay. It meant 'Ruler of the Home'. She could have a much worse name, like Buffy or Linda, so she should be satisfied in being a Hattie.

The second thing Hattie thought was why she was hearing birds singing. They were everywhere, chirping and tweeting and caroling with notes ranging from shrill to sweet. She was definitely outdoors somewhere as she could also hear the fast flow of a river. As her other senses returned to her she realized she was lying on the cold ground. Her fingers clenched, trying to find purchase to hold on to, but they only managed to grab a handful of wet leaves. She could smell the sweet rot of them all around her, the signature scent of autumn.

The third thing Hattie thought was that it was time she opened her eyes. But she was afraid to. What would she see? Images flashed before her, unpleasant ones. She was walking. Then falling. Then pain and blood and cries for help so desperate her voice went raw. And then…nothing…

Hattie decided to open her eyes anyway.

First there was a clear sky, and then there was a forest. A woodland full of trees dressed for the season in oranges, yellows, and bold reds. A wind coaxed their leaves to fall, spinning down to landing all around Hattie. A small piles was already on top of her, and she had to wonder how long she had been like this. Did she fall asleep? Had she passed out? She didn't know. The sun looked to be setting itself as the shadows seemed to be growing longer around her. She was in a small clearing, the forest floor a little way from her thick with ferns and lichen.

Hattie slowly, painfully, sat up.

Ow...

She tenderly touched the back of her head. She was wearing a knitted hat with one of those little fuzzy pompoms at the end. There was something wet on it. She brought her fingers to her face, seeing them covered in something thick and red.

Blood.

Immediately Hattie shot up. She looked at the ground she had been lying on, blood covering the dirt and leaves that had been beneath her.

"Oh…that's not good." She whimpered, feeling sick.

Hattie struggled to get her backpack off. She did not know she had been wearing one until she did. No time for that now. She unbuckled and opened the flap. It was a rather old fashioned backpack, the kind made out of green canvas. It had a lot of pockets and looked stuffed with all kinds of curious things. Hattie didn't care though, as she immediately started to toss out everything in there. She wasn't sure what she was looking for until she found it.

A first aid kit.

She opened it, seeing gauze and antiseptic wipes stuffed inside. She grabbed one and ripped it open. She then gently removed her hat, careful of the blood that had stuck it to her hair. Slowly it came off and she threw it away from her. Her hands went to feel the back of her head tenderly, prepared for the worst.

And…nothing.

There was blood, a lot, and it was still fresh. But Hattie felt everywhere and did not come across any gash or cut. Hell, not even a bruise. Her head hurt, that much was certain. Now that her panic was starting to subside she realized it was only a headache. Then, why was there so much blood? If she wasn't hurt then where had it come from? She looked around for signs of a struggle or something by way of explanation but there was only the forest. She couldn't even see a path.

How…how did I get here? What happened?

Her mind felt like a blank slate. Like she had walked into a room and forgotten what she had gone in there for. Except, the thing she forgot was…everything.

Hattie risked standing up. Her head hurt and the rest of her felt stiff, but fortunately that was it. The blood must not be hers, though she suspected it was not so simple. Still, she was fine, and that was something to be grateful for.

Looking around her, Hattie searched for a clue. Quickly she spotted two. Another pack and an unfolded map lying near to where she had been. She went for the map first. It was damp as if it had been lying there for some time, but she was happy to see it was still legible.

It was a map of Chainley Burn in Hexham. Hattie was confused by the names, none of them sounding familiar. The map showed her a valley with a river running through some forest called the Westwood. She flipped the map over to find the cover and noticed the telltale initials UK. So…she was in England?

"Funny," She muttered to herself, "I don't feel British."

Hattie decided to leave the map alone as she went over to the other pack. It was newer than what she had on her back and had a single strap to wear over the shoulder. Opening it she saw a tightly rolled wool blanket. Okay? So she was on a picnic or something? Further investigation only confused the matter. There was a foldable gardening spade, a tape measurer, a spool of twine, dental picks, small paint brushes, a reference book of some sort, and an I.D. badge.

Picking up the badge she saw a name, hers she assumed.

Hattie O'Connor – Roman Vindolanda Volunteer Excavator, Class: Student

Excavator? Like digging? That explained the tools. The book too. It was a volunteer handbook, and as she flipped through it, it showed volunteer rules, schedules, daily tasks, and fun things to do on her free time. Is this what she had been up to? Was she studying to be an archaeologist? The I.D. suggested she was. She went to the first page of the book and read the introduction:

See history come to life as an army of archaeologists and student volunteers painstakingly and carefully unearth not only hidden treasures, but fascinating stories of life in Roman Britain too, that come alive through these valuable findings. Vindolanda is thought to be one of Europe's most exciting archaeological excavations, and visitors to the site will be able to see how this important work is done, and perhaps witness a momentous discovery. You'll never know what you might find!

I can't put my finger on it, but that last line seems a little ominous. A little too ominous…

Guessing this pack had no more clues for her, Hattie went back to the one that had been on her back. It was still near that suspiciously large puddle of blood, and she avoided looking at it as much as possible as she dug into it. There were a lot of things, but she felt herself searching one pocket in particular. She brightened to feel a leather square.

A passport and a wallet!

Opening them both, a few of Hattie's suspicions were confirmed.

"American. I knew it. I'm just a tourist. Age…twenty. No, twenty-one? Wait, what year is this?"

That Hattie had to seriously ponder this was concerning enough. Also, her middle name just so happened to be Maude. Wow, she must have parents who hate her. Just who were her parents anyway? She tried to think of faces and names, but nothing came to mind. She needed to figure out where she was and how she got here. Better, how to get out and get herself to a hospital. It was obvious she had suffered some kind of concussion, which would explain the blood and her sudden lack of memories. Course, why she did not have a gash on her head or see any signs of a path near her was strange. Almost as if she had appeared at this spot out of thin air...

Great. Now the X-Files theme is stuck in my head.

The wallet had a driver's license that confirmed the information in the passport, as well as a few pound notes, plastic cards, a student's visa for the UK, and a room key. Not really much to rebuild herself on.

Desperate for answers, Hattie began to lay out the rest of the backpack's contents on the ground. It offered her a few more pieces to the puzzle that was her. She handled and examined them like they were precious artifacts.

One field notebook – This seemed to be very important. It was made of leather and looked a little water stained. It held all kinds of penned notes, observations, and sketches she suspected had to do with Vindolanda. There were a lot of random facts of medieval life, artifacts, thoughts, reflections, and a few pages on Romanesque architecture. There were a lot of pages left empty though, as if she had bought it recently. She would read it later when she had time.

One plush case filled with pencils and pens – Useful.

One flashlight – Again, useful.

One expensive looking camera – Useless. It was broken! The lens was coming off of it and the screen was cracked. She experimented with turning it on, pushing this and that, but it was no use. Maybe she had dropped it? Or maybe she had fallen and landed on her back, smashing it.

Tooth brush and tooth paste in a baggie – Good.

Hair brush with hair ties wrapped around its handle – Also good.

A red bandana – She wrapped it around her head and put the rest of her long hair into a ponytail to keep the bloodied strands off of her neck. It was starting to weird her out.

First aid kit – But she already knew that. Still, it was good to have.

A ton of granola and protein bars – FOOD! Hattie opened one and relished it, not realizing how hungry she had been.

Two chocolate bars – Yum.

A bag of dog treats – Huh?

Water bottle – Half empty. That was worrisome. She took a few sips, but decided to conserve what she could.

Dog whistle – Okay, did she have a dog? She hadn't seen one yet, so maybe it had wondered off? She gave the whistle an experimental blow, and sure enough no sound she could detect came out of it. A few black crows took to the air not far from her clearing, and Hattie wondered if it had been such a good idea that she blew it. Who knew what was in these woods.

But then England doesn't have wolves or bears anymore…right?

A large bag of gummy bears – Okay, this is a lot of snacks. Did she have a sweet tooth?

A change of clothes in a space saver bag, tightly sealed – It had extras of what she was currently wearing. A pair of fleece lined leggings, wool socks, a plaid shirt, and panties. She was also wearing a green military jacket over a grey jumper, and what she supposed was the only bra she had bothered to pack. She also had pretty sturdy pair of hiking boots on. At least she didn't need to worry about lacking arch support. The only jewelry she wore was a little silver locket that looked quite old. It had no picture inside it which made her sad for some reason. Moving on.

Ipod with earbuds wrapped around it– Fully charged. She flicked through the last album she had playing.

My Bloody Valentine. Am I an indie music fan? Oh, god, I hope I'm not a hipster.

Swiss army knife – Useful. It had everything!

Tampons in an inner pocket – Good. Never knew when those might be needed.

Black eyeliner- Eh.

Mascara – Hm.

Body wash soap, Travel size – Good.

Inhaler with prescription filled out to her - Was she asthmatic? She took a puff of it just in case but she didn't feel any different after.

Two-in-One Shampoo and Conditioner, Travel size – Alright.

Washcloth – This is not really helping her anymore.

Face powder, color: Ivory – Okay, she should really be packing all this back up.

Compact mirror – Okay. She could use it to signal for help. But…Hattie suddenly realized she didn't know what she looked like. Sure, the passport and license had a picture of her. But everyone knew not to rely on those unflattering photos and she wasn't really certain if that was her any more.

Opening the compact, Hattie glanced herself over. This was stupid. What kind of person forgot what they looked like? The moment she saw herself though she noticed something…odd. Sure, she had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, but something felt off. In the license she had her ears and nose pierced. But looking at herself now she couldn't see any piercing marks. Like it had never happened at all. The rest looked about right though. Her hair and eyes were the same shade of chocolate brown and she had a spatter of freckles all over her face. Her teeth were white and straight and she had bangs that hid all of her forehead and eyebrows.

Hey. I'm pretty cute. And I guess I have a healthy self-esteem too.

One paperback titled 'The Duke's Seduction' – Oh, god. What was this doing in her bag? Was she a hopeless romantic? It even had some woman in a loosened dress pressing herself to a faceless pair of chiseled abs. She didn't want to put it back in her bag. But then…if she left it here, it would be littering and littering was wrong. Looks like she had no choice but to keep it…

One well-worn hardback titled 'The Silmarillion' – It was old. Very old. As if it had been read a thousand times and a thousand times again. She leafed through it, and discovered its words felt familiar to her. Like an old song. Odd she could remember its story too, of elves and strange lands and their history, but not what her own parents looked like. Obviously this was a book she loved dearly. She would not even think of leaving it behind.

With that, she had emptied out the backpack. It had given her a few clues, but nothing really all that solid. Hattie began to pack everything back into her bags. She struggled to find a way to make everything fit. Eventually she just gave up and stuffed the pockets of her jacket as much as she could. It was then she discovered what she should have been looking for in the first place.

A cellphone!

"Yes! Rescue!"

She immediately punched in the numbers 911…only to realize how stupid that was.

"Right. I'm in England. Idiot."

She tried again with 999…and nothing.

"Damn it!" She groaned, "What is going on here?"

Glancing at the screen she noticed she had no service at all. Well, so much for that. Still, a phone was a phone. She would walk for a little while and try to pick up a signal to call for help. She briefly looked through her contacts and saw how little there was. One for a grandmother she seemed to be close to given the amount of times they texted and called, though the messages had stopped between them a year ago. Was there a falling out between them? Hattie didn't think so. There was another person she texted a few times and they were rather formal, and it took her a while to figure out it was her father since he was listed only as 'Harry'. So she had been named after him but wasn't as close to him as she was with the grandmother.

She didn't want to waste the power, but Hattie couldn't resist looking through the pictures on her cell as well. There were a few of what she assumed was the Vindolanda site, and some people bent over digging and smiling at the camera as she took them. Going further back she found a lot of her and who she assumed was her grandmother. She was a cheerful looking woman, and with her was a man Hattie guessed was her grandfather. She had a lot of pictures with them both in different settings; at a nice home, at multiple campsites, at her high school graduation, and so on. She looked at each one and couldn't feel any familiarity with them. Like she was looking at someone else's vacation photos. Sure, they were pretty, but you really have had to have been there.

An ache of loneliness came over her, desperate to find one clear memory to cling to.

There were no other regularly featured people in the pictures though. No one who looked like they were her father or mother or boyfriend or girlfriend or any friend for that matter. However, there was another in the pictures with her grandparents. A rather large, strange looking–

A rustle of underbrush alerted Hattie that she was not alone.

Uh-oh.

She looked up from her phone and saw a wolf-like thing running out from the tangle of brushwood. Its shag was grey and brown with a white underbelly. And it was huge. And it was lumbering towards her.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Hattie shouted as she finally began to react. The only thing she could think of was to run away. It did her little good, for in no time flat she felt the breath of the animal on her. Split seconds later it pounced on her, forcing her to the ground. Hattie struggled, screaming and trying to knock the heavy creature off of her. Any moment she expected the thing to sink its teeth into the back of her neck, ending her in one swift bite. Instead she felt it…licking?

Hattie stilled herself. The thing was whining excitedly, licking and nuzzling her back. Slowly she rolled out from under it and sat up. The beast instantly went for her face, continuing in its affection. It dawned on Hattie that this thing came in answer of the dog whistle she blew.

"Uh…good boy?" She laughed nervously, an uncertain hand reaching out to touch it. The dog instantly bent its head to her, allowing her to scratch its ear. The creature whined happily and a panting tongue lolled out of the side of its wide mouth. Relaxing, Hattie realized he was harmless. At least, for now.

"Are you my dog?" Hattie asked, and in answer the dog came forward again and nuzzled against her.

"Good boy. Good boy, I love you too." She found herself saying. Did she love this creature? The sting of thankful tears in her eyes suggested she did. The ache of loneliness and uncertainty lessened in her then. This was the dog in the pictures with her grandparents. This was her dog. Reaching for his collar she saw a tag with her name on it and what she assumed was her phone number.

"Wolf." Hattie read, and the dog grew only more excited at its name being called, "It suits you."

It really did. He had amber colored eyes, wild and knowing, and triangle-shaped ears like a wolf. His face though reminded her more of a German Shepard, long and narrow and friendly. However, Hattie had to dock herself points for her lack of imagination in naming him.

Still, it was nice not to be alone anymore. She was starting to piece together what she guessed happened to her. She had been hiking along the Chainley Burn valley with her dog when she slipped and hit her head, causing her to bleed out and lose consciousness. The cut was not as bad as it looked though if she could not feeling anything, though her obvious concussion was very concerning. It would be best if she found help as soon as possible and checked herself into a hospital to have it looked at. People did not suffer amnesia unless it was serious. Then afterwards the volunteer group she was working for would hopefully take over from there and get her back home to the USA.

"Well then, come on Wolf." She announced as she picked up her packs and the map, "Let's go find civilization."

Unfolding the map again, she studied it once more. It gave her no clues to where she was in particular, but if she found the river then maybe she would stand a chance. Pausing to listen, Hattie's ears picked up on the flow of water she had heard before. She couldn't see it from where she was, so she boldly left the clearing and dove into the underbrush. Wolf followed after her, keeping close as if afraid to lose her.

A few minutes of struggling through the undergrowth resulted in Hattie finding a vast river. Strange, on the map it looked more like a creek. No matter. All she had to do was follow along its bank and she'd make it out of the Westwood. Question was, which way should she follow it? The map didn't give her any clues.

"What do you say boy? Up river or down river?" Hattie asked her companion, happy to be talking to someone other than herself.

'Down.'

Hattie blinked, but the dog continued to stare at her intently. Looking left, and then looking right, she could have sworn she heard someone speak to her. But no, there was only her and Wolf.

"Huh?" She puzzled, looking to him for answers. The dog tilted its head to one side.

'Follow the river downstream.'

"…"

"Oh boy. I must have hit my head harder than I thought." Hattie laughed nervously. She folded the map and placed it in her pocket. She would follow the river downstream. If some little voice in her head thought it was right, then who was she to argue? Still, hearing voices and not being able to remember what year it was only made her worry more about her head injury. She did not have long before dark though, as the sun was setting fast. Still, Hattie felt rather hopeful.

"Come on." She grinned as she started, "An hour, two tops, and we'll be enjoying hot showers and those delicious hospital pudding cups."

~:o:0:o:~

I know, not a very exciting chapter, was it? But I promise the next shall be as Legolas will be entering the story. Besides, I like a story with slow build, and I hope you do as well. Anyway, I would deeply appreciate any reviews, favs, and follows! See you next times dearies!