Crossover: Lord of the Rings the Two Towers/ Lilo and Stitch.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or Lilo and Stitch.

Summary: Lilo and Stitch are fooling around in space when their ship malfunctions, engaging the hyperdrive in a very dangerous area. Galaxies from their home, they end up on a strange but beautiful planet whose inhabitants seem to be living in a medieval-like era. The two, not wanting to perish in this strange place, decide to stick with a particular group of travelers until they find a way back home.

And yes, this crossover is only going to consist of the Two Towers. For the most part, it will be book verse. However, there will be some movie parts…like, if some movie dialog was incorporated into book scenes. Or something.

Don't know what Lilo and Stitch is? It's a story about a little Hawaiian girl and an alien 'monster' named Stitch. It is about accepting people (or aliens) for who they are, despite what they look like. In this fic, it takes place a few years after Leroy and Stitch (I placed her at 13 years old), where Lilo is the United Galactic Federation's ambassador as designated in the final movie.

Don't know what Lord of the Rings is? It's an epic fantasy about a group of heroes that need to save their Middle Earth from enslavement and destruction by an evil Dark Lord. So called evil has no physical body, but the inhabitants seem to feel his presence in anything that is opposite of good. The Two Towers is when the heroes are separated, trying to save a country from the aggressive and ruthless army of the bad guys.

Can you see a conflict already? Yep. In LOTR, mostly anything that is evil is also visually hideous. The only thing devious is the beautifully crafted weapon of the Dark Lord, which takes it form in a golden ring. In Lilo and Stitch, this is definitely not the case: it could be said that the first movie never had a villain, only the prejudice of something that appears different from the rest. In fact later on, the main villain of the TV series appears as a cute little hamster-type alien.

Yes! This crossover can be done! [It's not the strangest of crossovers with LOTR I've read…]

So, with that out of the way: Read and Review!

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"Stitch, I dunno where we are. At all." A contemplative pause. "Uncle Dr. Jumba wouldn't have happened to implant a distress beacon on you..?"

An inhuman reply came. "Eyah…naga."

"That's too bad."-+-

"Sar-wei, Lilo."

"Don't be, it's okay. We'll just have to be resourceful—like how we learned at camp," the teenage girl saying this looked around the open, grassy plane. Her long black hair blew in the valley's wind, sweeping it about like a dark maelstrom. Her red sundress contrasted brightly against the green of the area, making her feel like a trigger fish trying to hide in sand.

More odd, however, was the little creature that crept beside her. Small, furry, and a vibrant blue, it had two great ears picking up the tiniest sounds from all across the prairie. Even now, they turned and adjusted about his head, trying to distinguish the foreign melody of the strange place. Jet black eyes squinted against the brightness of the sun, looking over the horizon.

Leagues of grassland spread about two weary travelers. All around them, the blades waved in the wind, their waxy leaflets creating steady undulations in the sea of green. White clouds rapidly formed and collapsed overhead, rolling across the sky. Their shadows were at a persistent place behind, following their casters over the planes and hills. These clouds disappeared beyond the great, snow-peaked purple mountain ranges to the south.

The world looked repetitive at the moment: grass, hills, mountain, sky. However, the only inconsistency in the scenery was towards the west. If they strained their eyes, they could see dark looming peaks. Above this range were ominous-looking dark and fiery clouds.

Why were their dark, unfaltering clouds in which the bottoms reflected some sort of infernal activity? Why did these clouds never move on to be gloomy in some other place? It meant adventuring to find the answers to these questions.

"Let's go there," the girl, Lilo, pointing to the obviously menacing clouds.

Stitch didn't need his extraordinary alien senses to tell that the indicated directed was not the safest way to go. "Naga, naga," he protested, shaking his head from side to side. He pulled at the bottom of her dress.

"Why not?" she asked, her eyes widening. "It could be a volcano—like we have in Hawaii. Remember when we took you to Mt. Kilauea? You were surfing on the lava! Maybe we can do that again."

Stitch still did not let her go. Stubbornly, he planted his feet firmly on the ground, preventing Lilo from moving any further.

"Stitch!" she warned. "Let me go!"

"Naga!"

"Yes!"

"Naga!"

"Well, why not?"

"It's dangerous!" he struggled to pronounce. For some reason, the 'e'-like sound was still a tough vowel to break.

"Great, now you're acting like Nani," the little girl rolled her eyes at her friend. That was one thing she hated about being a kid—always having to listen to adult even though they were stupid. And now her own best friend—an alien who almost knew nothing of Earth culture—was telling her what to do!

She was about to protest again when she noticed Stitch's expression. He seemed tense. Which was weird, considering he usually reveled whenever he visited a new place. But this world was different—there was a wary stillness, a tension in the air, as if something big was about to take place. Stitch had seemed to pick up on this feeling since they had first arrived, but only now did Lilo get it.

"Oh, alright. We'll no go that way," she relented.

Stitch let out a breath, letting go of her dress. Then, he was on all fours, sniffing the ground and the air. He waved for her to follow, and she did. Lilo trusted he knew where he was going, and that above all else he was leading with their safety in mind. He kept on pausing, looking around, and then following a path—like he couldn't quite tell what the scent was yet, or he was smelling something for the first time.

Suddenly, he seemed to get the notion of what the scent was. He barred his fangs, growling and spiting. His narrow black eyes squinted to a darker patch of grass too far ahead for Lilo to see. But before she could get a better look at what it was, he immediately pulled her in a different direction.

"Stitch—Stitch!" she said, looking at his tight grip on her small wrist. Sometimes he didn't know his strength, even after all this time.

The alien paused, realizing his error. He released her, slumping to the ground. It looked like a gazillion neurons in his intelligent brain were all firing, trying to formulate different courses of action all at once.

"Nani says that if you think too fast, the plan won't be as good," she consoled, sitting down next to him. She started picking at the blades of grass. She knew that she was only a kid and that he was more than just a pet. Though she'd barely admit it, there were times where Stitch seemed more of an adult than she did—which was amazing since she was probably the most mature person in the state. "Let me help you think. First, we'll answer what we do know."

Stitch's earls piqued at her consideration.

"Well, we know how we got here," she chuckled. "We were playing around with the hyper drive in a—a—what was it called again?"

"Unstable space-density sector," he offered. "Engine destroyed."

"Right," she nodded, not fully understanding. One day, she promised, she would understand all the alien terminology. After all, it was her duty as the Earth's ambassador to the Galactic Council. "And I'm pretty sure we landed in some trees, but when we woke up," here she rubbed the back of her head, "the space ship was gone."

Stitch pulled out something from his mouth—a sort of voice-video transmitting device. It fit in the palm of his hand, with a little antenna extending from the top.

"You have a transmitter?" she exclaimed, not surprised that he had swallowed it for safekeeping.

"No work." To demonstrate, he pressed the call button. The screen showed only grey static and white noise. "But I will keep on 'distress'." Flipping a side switch from 'talk' to 'distress signal', he replaced it in his mouth and swallowed.

"…You know how convenient—yet really gross—that is?"

He gave a toothy grin.

"Right, well, let's answer that next question," she placed her head on her hands, thinking.

Stitch stirred beside her saying, "Where are we?"

"In the middle of a field? It's definitely not Hawaii, though," she shuddered as a cool breeze swept across the area again. She suddenly felt how thin the cloth was on the sundress.

"We need keep walking," Stitch said, getting to his feet. "Follow."

Lilo nodded, and began keeping pace with her friend.

They traveled for what seemed like miles and hours. The sun reached its zenith, making their shadows almost disappear. Lilo's stomach growled on emptiness and thirstiness. On the other hand, Stitch seemed to carry on like it was nothing, trudging though the tall grass with a hard determination to put as much distance as possible between the foreboding clouds and them. Where in the world did he get all that energy?

More hours passed by, and still they did not stop. Lilo's steps became more shuffled as she dragged her feet out of tiredness. She blinked warily as the sun cast golden rays. The mountains it set behind casted shadows that covered the entire field. At that moment, she wished she was on the beach again, sitting with her family—her ohana. It would have been a warm night, with a large full moon tide and calm ocean that blended into the sky.

She wondered what Nani was doing—if she was worried Lilo was gone. How frantic would she be this time in her search for her little sister? Or worse—for how long would Lilo be grounded when she got back home?

"Ah—ouch!" Lilo cried as she tripped over a twig, falling right on her face.

Stitch finally stopped in his trek to turn back to his fried. "Lilo…alright?"

"Yeah, just tired," she said as he helped her back up.

He looked around twice. They were at the edge of a dense forest. The trees roots spread out in tangles, their branches shielded the scarce night light so that the deep woods looked completely black. The trunks themselves were as old and dense as the ones she had seen in Hawaii. Whereas back at her home the trees were vibrant and tropical, these appeared aloof like they themselves were wary of visitors in their woods.

"This place good for rest," he said curtly. Quickly, he began gathering dead branches. "Need fire."

Lilo shivered; heat would be nice. She followed, sticking close to her friend. It was getting dark quick—she did not want to be separated. The native Hawaiian bent down and reached for a medium sized branch, only to realize she couldn't pull it free from the ground. She cocked her head, thinking. Perhaps it was a root? She decided to try lifting it one more time—and was pushed over.

"Stitch!" she said angrily.

"What?"

"You just knocked me over. Apologize!"

"Naga I didn't."

"Yes you—ah!" This time, something swept her off her feet. She fell flat on her rear, but quickly got to her feet once again.

"It wasn't me!"

"Ah, but…," she breathed, looking around frantically, but only finding similar large roots and branches typical of the forest. Lilo shook her head and decided to leave the root. Like Stitch, she decided to only stick to already dead pieces of tree. An hour or so later they were done and it was properly nighttime. Their branch-gathering had led them farther into the forest than she had initially thought.

"Enough twigs," Stitch said, coming around an especially old tree, holding ten times his weight in dried, fire-ready braches. In the night, his dark eyes reflected the scarcest of light. How Lilo wished she had his night vision—every other step she tripped!

Since Stitch had plenty of dried branches, Lilo dropped her insignificant pile and followed him back towards the edge of the woods. There was a golden flicker of light just up ahead. Lilo squinted her eyes, trying to make out its source. Was it a lantern of some sort? Or perhaps it was an irregularly flashing emergency light on a space ship. Her heart beat faster.

Right beside her, Stitch remained calm, carefully walking forward with his cargo. He also seemed to notice the dim light; no doubt he already knew what it was. Judging from his relaxed manner, whatever the light source came from, it wasn't threatening.

They grew closer to the source. Lilo started to make out three distinct shapes: adult, human in looks. They were gathered around a rather humble fire, too small even for one man. She wondered why it was so small, even though the night was chilly. But it didn't matter to Lilo. Seeing fire made her want to run up and warm herself next to the flames.

She hoped, at least, that the people gathered around their fire would be willing to share. Then Lilo paused in her tracks. What if the three people there were rouges of some sort? What if they were the kind that kidnapped little girls, like the ones that Nani had warned her about? Lilo looked at Stitch. Stitch looked back questioningly.

"You safe with Stitch," he reassured.

Lilo smiled and looked back at the campfire scene. But now one of the sitting figures was standing, seeming to look in their direction. Even under the cover of the night and the shadow of the forest, she felt like she was being watched under the clearest of days. The figure seemed to speak to the other two forms around the fire. Then, the second and third forms stood, all facing their direction.

Stitch stood still as well. The figures rustled—it was too dark for Lilo to see, but it appeared as if one form was pulling out a device. At this motion, Stitch let out a low growl. Lilo's heart skipped a beat. It was rare now-a-days that he barred his teeth.

All of a sudden, the figures extinguished the fire, pitching Lilo's world into pure darkness. Her breath caught in her throat. Not only was it dark, but it was silent. The forest did not make any living sound; there were to chirping crickets or buzz of insects, only a deep silence. She thought she heard two sets of foot falls coming from the direction of where the figures had been: one was short, heavy, but quick; the other was more subtle with longer strides. But where was the sound of the third figure? Perhaps that one stayed behind.

Lilo couldn't see Stitch and neither could she hear his breath. He was probably holding it to be as silent as possible. Perhaps she should try to do the same. Steadily, she calmed herself, leveling her breathing to an imaginary breeze.

The next second, she felt a hand on her arm, which made her yelp. So much for being quiet in the darkness. At the same time, she felt relief at recognizing Stitch's grip. Though she couldn't see him, she could tell he was being extremely cautious. Lilo listened for the figures' footsteps but couldn't make out any sound. She doubted that they left.

Lilo frowned. This was getting her nowhere. It was obvious that the figures had the advantage; otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered to extinguish the flame if they weren't sure of their abilities to navigate in the dark. If Lilo and Stitch needed to run, she had no doubt that Stitch could at least carry her away. Furthermore, it was better to begin fleeing when she still knew that the figures were farther away and not directly upon them.

So, Lilo decided to try speaking with the figures.

"Aloha."

Stitch squeezed her arm in annoyance. Clearly, he didn't want her speaking. Lilo shook him off.

"Hey, I don't know what you guys want—but we're lost," Lilo tried again. She hoped that didn't sound suspicious. Her voice clearly echoed back to her, sounding oddly frightened and young. "Maybe you can give us some directions, and we'll be on our way."

"Why is a little girl such as yourself away from your mother?" a curious, untrusting, but at the same time gentle, voice said.

"I don't have a mom," it slipped out before she could stop herself. Then she realized that the voice came from directly behind her. "Ah!"

How did he creep upon her so silently without her knowing? She stumbled once again, but the body that she guessed belonged to the voice caught her with a sturdy grip. She tried to wrestle herself free. "Lemme go!" But his grip was strong—a bit strange for the rather slender arms that held her. "S-Stitch!"

She heard her friend let out a menacing growl. Beside her face she felt a whoosh of breeze as Stitch leapt into the air towards her captor. But the man who held her let go to avoid Stitch's tackle just in time. And Lilo ran.

Unfortunately, she didn't make it too far, for one of the other figures caught her, a large, callused hand clamped over her mouth. She tried to yell, but only exhausted herself trying to get a decent amount of air into her lungs.

A gruff voice whispered, "Calm yourself. We won't hurt you." He paused, letting Lilo breathe easier. "Call off your beast."

Lilo's chest hurt. Stitch probably heard him say 'beast.' For a creature that just wanted to be accepted, a name like that must hurt dearly. She felt for him. Lilo's eyes began to water, thinking of her friend and how it must feel to be labeled as a monster once again. She shook off the almost-tears, turning her sadness into anger at the unknown men who were prejudice against creatures that looked different.

Thinking about the situation, she decided the best course was to go along with the mystery figures. Still in the man's grip, she slowly nodded. Carefully, he lifted his hand off her mouth. "Stitch. C'mon over here, boy." She hoped that work.

The rustling of four legs on leaves was the sound that belonged to Stitch as he made his way over to Lilo. Now at her holder, he let out an almost nonexistent back of the throat growl. It was threatening enough to make Lilo's captor hesitate for the briefest of moments.

Another rustle of leaves off to the side was heard, and a gruffer voice spoke. "Is everything settled yet? We must sleep to aptly continue our trek tomorrow."

"No, not quite yet." It was the first voice. Once again, he was right beside Lilo without her knowing of it. Perhaps he could fly? That would explain why she didn't hear his footsteps.

Lilo wished they were out of the forest—at least then she would have some starlight for vision.

"You may start the fire again," said the one still holding Lilo by the arm to the stout, third man. His grip was loosened, but still had a sturdy enough hand to keep her still. She did not doubt he would be able to break her tiny bone if he really wanted to. The man led Lilo, with Stitch following close behind, towards the edge of the forest. A moment later, the fire was back up again, providing enough light to illuminate the three strangers.

The one who lit the fire was shorter than the other two, with a great red beard he seemed to take pride in. His face was more aged that the other two, but the wrinkles were that of laughter. A menacing axe was strapped to a great belt he wore at his waist. In contrast, the second figure appeared to be a slender young man with fair skin and hair. His walk was as nimble as a gazelle's. There was something else that was different about these two, but Lilo couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The last one, the one who still held Lilo, had kept his hood up. It shielded his eyes and most of his face, so she couldn't quite get a look. He seemed to be older than Lilo's sister, but younger than her parents when they passed away.

All three stranger were clothed in the oddest fashion—dim grays, greens, browns on tunics, splattered with mud and some other dark brown substance Lilo guessed was blood. It made her stomach turn. The cloth was thicker material than her dress, reminder her how cold the night was. She was glad the fire was up. In addition, they all carried heavy, worn, weapons.

As she was examining the three men, they were doing the same to her and Stitch. More so Stitch. When the fire had been lit, they had gotten a better look at the alien. The red-bearded one's hand moved to the hilt of his axe menacingly. "Why are you traveling with such a fiend?" he asked gruffly.

Lilo's eyes widened, instantly looking to Stitch. She prayed that he wasn't too offended, but Stitch was obviously angered, extending his black talons. The three looked repulsed to see such an alien.

"Unless," the same one continued, "you are a monster in disguise yourself!"

Lilo's head snapped back to him, glaring. "Hey! That's mean!"

"'Mean' wouldn't even begin to describe the horrors that you monsters have committed."

"I don't know what you're talking about! These are baseless accusations. Where's your proof that we're monsters?"

"No one would dare to venture in the woods alone—unless they were confident in their power to protect themselves," said the fair one calmly.

"I wasn't alone! I had Stitch." She nodded to the blue creature, still tense where he stood. With Lilo being held, he seemed to no want to make any sudden movements, especially since the stranger had such powerful weapons at their disposal.

"That creature speaks more for you being a monster yourself," said the one holding Lilo. He spoke rather quietly, but his voice was powerful. "How are you able to control such a thing? Are you some sort of enchanter?"

At the mention of 'enchanter' the other two men stiffened.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I can't control him at all."

"So this is just a rouge beast?"

"No! And stop calling him a monster," Lilo shouted. "You're all bigots!"

They seemed genuinely insulted from her last shout. The man grabbing her squeezed her arm tighter. She could already feel a bruise forming. If this kept up—

Stitch head butted the man in a flash. His push was so hard that he let Lilo go, stumbling backwards. Stitch growled, ready to leap on him again and claw at his face.

"No, Stitch!" Lilo cried, leaping on him before he could do any damage. He squirmed in her embrace, but relented. His fists unclenched, falling limply to his sides. Lilo felt a prickle on the back of her neck. She turned—instantly facing the tip of a strung arrow. When had the fair man brought that out?

Whatever the case, she realized that she was now at point-blank of the deadly weapon. Seeing how surely he handled the bow, she felt it could make as much damage as an anti aircraft missile. A little ways off, the bearded one still hadn't bothered to draw his axe, probably confident in the blonde one's ability. Lilo gulped, holding onto Stitch more out of fright than trying to hold him still.

The man Stitch pushed away stood up, brushing himself off. Lilo looked from one stranger to the next, finally letting her dark eyes fall on the shaft of the arrow. "You would kill a little girl?"

"I would defend my companions," he said quietly.

"You're the ones who are clearly holding us captive," she said, pausing. It just seemed like she was being threatened, but at the same time, she didn't feel as if she would really be shot at. Lilo gambled. Lifting up a tiny arm, she pushed the bow out of her face. The man raised an eyebrow at her bold motion, but relaxed his weapon. The bow and arrow was still out and menacing as ever, but at least now it wasn't trained on Lilo or Stitch.

"You cannot blame us for being testy in these dark times—especially next to such forlorn woods," said the stout one, beady black eyes looking along the trees' canopy. His gaze shifted back to Stitch. "Never before have I seen such a creature."

Lilo defended, "So do you treat anything you see new as a potential enemy?"

"No. I was just referring to how it looks monstrous."

"I think your beard looks monstrous," Lilo shot back.

The man became slightly enraged, but the fairer one extended his arm out to stop him from outright charging Lilo. Lilo, feeling the child in her, stuck out her tongue in triumph. "We must be the mature ones here," the he said to the short, bearded man. This calmed him down, the flare of anger gone as quickly as it came.

"Perhaps you are a fiend in disguise," said the one that was holding Lilo. He looked to the fair man questioningly.

In turn, the blonde one shook his head. "She is not."

"And you are certain?"

"As certain as spring comes every year."

"Then how does this explain her walking around with this creature?"

Lilo was lost when they started talking to each other. Before the fair one could guess at the answer to the last question, Lilo butted in, "Stitch's my friend—that's why I'm walking with him." Lilo grabbed Stitch's hand. "I feel safest when I'm with Stitch. We stick together because we are ohana." She paused to see if they recognized the word. "Family."

The mysterious one stood up straight, appearing to be thinking. The blonde one spoke, "So you treat this Stitch as an equal? As in, not as a pet?"

"Yes. He thinks just like you and me—probably thinks even better. But it's hard to tell, 'cuz he's still learning how to communicate what's going on in his head."

"An intelligent monster, then…," he concluded, falling silent.

Lilo narrowed her eyes. "We can all be considered monsters at some point. Stitch is no different."

"You speak of a First Born as a monster?" the dark one said, stepping in.

"First…huh?" Once again, Lilo was lost. She knew she had said something most considered insulting, but why was this other guy defending the fair one?

"Recall what you said," he demanded.

Stitch barred his teeth when the man's tone of voice rose. With Stitch supporting, Lilo said, "No. I meant what I said."

"You are but a child."

Aw, jeez. Not that line again. Lilo realized this was getting nowhere. She looked at the fair one, who was standing with a more emotionless face than the previous semi-friendly one he wore before. "I'm sorry for offending you," she then looked at the other man. "But I won't take it back."

The darker man and the other glanced at each other for a moment. The blonde one gave the faintest of shrugs. The other decided to drop the conversation, instead choosing to look Lilo onceover. He motioned to the fire. "Those clothes you wear speak of a foreign land. Come warm yourself, and tell us about you and your…friend. Then, after knowing more, will we decided if you are friend or foe. For the moment, we must remain cautious. If you cooperate, we will share our resources and fire."

Lilo was grateful for the invitation. She suddenly felt ashamed for behaving so childlike, but hey—she was only thirteen years old. Double digits in age meant more responsibilities, but she still loved to retain that childlike mischievousness from when she was four. She couldn't help it sometimes, but given the situation, she promised she'd try to behave more adult-like.

She and Stitch scurried to the small fire, instantly warming their hands and feet. She rubbed her numb fingers, promoting circulation. Stitch only looked at the burning wood, mesmerized by the raw heat energy like he was during explosions. Lilo turned to the three strangers. "Thank you."

"Do not thank us yet. If you hinder us, we shall leave you behind. If you behave, we can at least promise protection," the hooded one warned.

Lilo paused, thinking over what he said. So, she and Stitch would play prisoner-under-suspicion and in turn receive guidance throughout this foreign land? Strange, but it would work—the best way to know a new planet was though its inhabitants. She wondered from what exactly she needed protection. So far, all she had seen was the landscape. The forest was scary, that was for sure, but she did not see any monsters.

Then again, Lilo thought back to when she and Stitch were first traveling across the plane. Stitch had seemed to anxious back then to get away from the dark-clouded mountains. As she looked from stranger to the next, she realized that the weapons and clothes were well-used. They were not fighting devices for just killing other men or woodland creatures—they appeared much tougher, as if they were designed to fell something more powerful.

Lilo wanted to ask the strangers about their land, and where they would be taking her. However, the three were in conversation, whispering undoubtedly about the two they had picked up. Lilo turned to Stitch. "Hey, Stitch," she began. "What do you think about …this?" She waved her arms to signify the new world.

"…Planet supports life," he said slowly.

"Obviously. I was talking about, oh, I dunno—the whole tenseness of our situation."

Stitch pointed to his chest. "Stitch knows that Stitch make people uncomfortable." He frowned.

"Only those that are ignorant," Lilo said, patting her friend on his back. His fur had some bits of leaves stuck on him. She proceeded to pluck them out caringly. "Once we gain trust, everything will be fine."

"Eih," Stitch nodded.

"So, then…I have a question. What was making you so nervous back when we were traveling across the prairie?" she prodded.

Stitch looked into her brown eyes, worry flashing across his face.

"Please, don't keep things from me—I gotta know."

Stitch still appeared hesitant. He fidgeted. "Death—stinky death," he scrunched his nose. "Smell make Stitch…make Stitch uncomfortable. Don't know what is, but Stitch no like."

Lilo sat back. She knew of some animals that had an external trigger that would engrave them. Like a bull and the color red, could this smell be the same concept? She placed her hands on his clenched claws. "Don't worry—I won't let you turn bad."

He relaxed. "Stitch won't let you be hurt by smelly things, either."

Lilo smiled, turning back to the three strangers. They seemed to have finished conversing a while ago and were now observing her and Stitch. Had they been eavesdropping? "What?" she asked defensively.

"Your friend was affected by the Orcs' corpses?" asked the bearded one.

Corpses? "It's rude to eavesdrop."

"Answer his question," the hooded one said.

Lilo sighed. "It seems so. But maybe it's just enough to make him unsettled. Then again, anyone would be queasy from smelling decay."

The blonde one shook his head in disagreement. "These aren't ordinary carcasses. When they putrefy, they contaminate the earth. In dense concentrations, they affect Men…and I suppose beast."

"We'll just have to be careful, then," Lilo crossed her arms.

"Even when executing caution, the unpredictable can happen, child," said the red bearded one.

"I'm not 'child'," Lilo wanted to kick herself for acting so rude. But she couldn't help it—she was tired and cold and hungry. How she wished to be back in Hawaii, sleeping in her fluffy bed.

"If not 'child', then what shall we call you?" said the hooded one. Lilo deduced that this was the leader—but why? He seemed so stand-off-ish and mean. A leader was supposed to be pleasant and refined, right? "And I heard you call your beast a name as well."

"My name is Lilo. And this is Stitch—not 'monster' or 'beast'—just Stitch," she answered.

"Lilo…and Stitch," he repeated.

"And what are your names?"

"You may call me Strider," said the man. He reaching back and took off his hood, revealing a face that appeared worn and tired. At the same time, it appeared handsome—if only he took the time to bathe. In the back of her mind, Lilo wondered how awful she must look having traveled all day.

The next to introduce himself was the stout, bearded one. "I am Gimli, son of Gloin."

"Legalos, son of Thranduil," said the last stranger.

"Pleased to meet you, Misters Strider, Gimli, and Legalos." Lilo hoped she would remember their strange names within the next five minutes. She wondered from which language they originated, and for what they stood.

"Your face reads confused," said Strider, tending the fire.

Lilo glanced up at him. "I hope you're not offended, but," she paused. Yeah, just after saying something like 'no offense', it ran the risk of offending. "But your names are strange to me."

"Oh? I would hope that would not be a surprise, you being a foreigner in this land," Gimli pointed out. "Your names are peculiar as well."

Lilo smoothed out her dress. "I guess you're right."

Strider shifted from where he was sitting. "When we first encountered you two, we were troubled. Our horses had disappeared. You wouldn't have happened to see them?"

"No, sorry."

Legolas asked, "How about a heavily cloaked figure?"

Lilo shook her head. "We've only been trying to gather wood for fire ourselves when you found us." She gave a weak smile. "And we're grateful you did, for we would have been lost."

"These woods are of a mysterious ambient," explained Gimli. "Ancient as well—one must be wary of the living trees."

"Huh?"

"There are legends of great tree-beings that rule over the forests," said Legolas. "Regardless, one must have respect for breathing nature."

"Hm," Lilo thought. "I think I'll just follow your lead in this place." She stopped. "By the way, where are we?"

"We are in Rohan," Strider said, motioning to the dark forest.

"…Rohan. Right," she repeated. "I hope you understand that I have no idea where this is."

"From where do you originate?" Gimli asked.

"Hawaii."

Gimli and Legolas looked at Strider. Strider's face looked contemplative. "In my travels I have been in many mysterious, foreign lands, and have picked up numerous languages. Yet here is a place of which I have never heard, and names of which I do not know from where they come."

"It's an island in the middle of the biggest ocean," Lilo said, knowing that it wouldn't be of use. She was positive she and Stitch were on an entirely different planet.

"Across the sea?" asked Legolas, appearing more interested.

"More like half-way across the sea. From the mainland, it takes about eight hours just to fl—," she stopped herself. Perhaps it was best not to talk as much. The people here seemed to be of a different time. Swords, axes, tunics—Middle Ages, she guessed. From her history class, she knew how terrible the Feudal Era could be. Perhaps she shouldn't speak of future inventions. It would probably just make her more suspicious.

The three waited for her to finish, but when she stopped speaking, Strider inquired, "What do you call this ocean?"

"Well, we call it the Pacific Ocean."

"Pacific?"

"Named for its calm waters when it was first explored."

Strider thought for a moment, looking at her curiously. "And it's etymology?"

"Ety-what?"

"What is the origin of its name?"

"Um…," Lilo hesitated, thinking it was best that maybe she not speak more about her home. Its origin was 'pax' for peace—but that was from an ancient, Earth language.

"Lilo, I am an explorer at heart—I only wish to know more of the world," Strider said, figuring that Lilo was willingly holding information. "Please, talk. Only if it something that you are forbidden to disclose will I forget my curiosity."

"No, it's fine. Pacific comes from 'pax', which stands for peace," she explained. If they thought that she came from the middle of the ocean, it was fine. But then something hit her. "But you know what's weird? You three speak the language I'm speaking!"

Legolas, Gimli, and Strider glanced at each other again. Gimli spoke, "Why yes, we do. This is Common. Everyone understands this tongue."

"No-no. You don't understand. The language I'm speaking comes from a blending of two dead tongues that formed into the one I'm speaking now. But here you guys are, clearly from a different background, speaking the same language…," she trailed off when she saw their smiles. Why, they thought this funny. Didn't they see the strangeness of the situation?

"Dear girl, do not worry—just feel grateful that you speak the same as all of Middle Earth," Legolas said.

But it just didn't make sense. Lilo wondered what languages formed this 'Common'. Another food for thought was what Legolas had called the world: Middle Earth. Earth. Lilo whipped her head around and looked at Stitch. He had caught it, too. Similarities in a different place: if this wasn't some very strange coincidence, which she dearly hoped it was, their situation might be more 'alternate universe' than just a different planet. Stitch felt his stomach, where he had swallowed the signaling device. Hopefully it would work in a different dimension.

"Now, on a more serious note," Strider said, a grim look appearing on his face. "You must tell us what the creature you walk with is."

"I said before that he's family. Well, adopted," she said firmly.

"He is not human, at least," said Gimli. "And looks fearsome."

Lilo said nothing.

"What is his species?" Strider asked. "Where did he live prior to his adoption?"

"Why would it matter to family love?" Lilo demanded. "Why…" She felt a hand on her arm—Stitch's. He nodded, asking permission for him to speak. Lilo gave a hesitant smile.

"Stitch has no species. Stitch was created."

The three did not seem to understand, not to mention they were clearly surprised at his nasally, quirky voice.

"It can speak," Strider leaned forward, looking at Stitch with a new regard.

"Of course it can," Lilo put her hands on her hips.

"I was kept in cage before finding family."

"Cage?" asked Legolas.

"Mm," Stitch nodded. "People feared Stitch—called Stitch monster." His expression was so sad, it hurt Lilo deeply. She tenderly placed a hand on his shoulder. "But Stitch good now. Stitch found ohana."

Lilo stepped in, "You see, before people did not know Stitch, they called him a monster just because of how he looked, of how he did not have a family. But he's changed now."

"But you must understand, with true monsters looking clearly unlike people of reason, many are naturally wary of anything that is different," Gimli said gently.

Lilo blinked. "You…don't know of anything that is deceiving? Anything hideous that has a heart? Anything beautiful that is terrible? These are the inconsistencies brought from misunderstanding and ignorance that cause the greatest of trifles."

Her words seemed to hit home with Gimli, Legolas, and Strider. They were thinking of something in particular, faces dark and full of worry. Lilo softened. "I understand what you are saying, of course. But I'm just trying to stick up from my friend."

"Then I suppose you know the only way to demonstrate his goodness if though an act, and not just your word," Legolas said.

Lilo nodded.

"Tell me, Lilo. How do you know to trust us?" Strider asked, a small smile forming on the corner of his lips.

Dang. He was right. How did she know she could trust them? She rubbed her head. "I don't know if I can," she said sadly. "But you offered me the comfort of fire and guidance as long as I don't hinder you. Like most adults, I'm guessing that you felt fearful for a young girl like me traveling alone." She looked at Strider in the eyes. "But, I trust Stitch enough to protect me if you are deceiving me."

Strider made a quick look to Stitch. Lilo guessed he was trying to measure Stitch's strength. In her mind, she smiled. There was no way the alien's strength could be determined. Even Jumba had not put a definite number on Stitch's force. At the same time, Stitch was only one. Against three fighters such as Gimli, Legolas, and Strider, Lilo would be a sitting duck.

"Very well," Strider eventually said. "Keep him close."

Lilo gave a gracious smile, but then frowned. Once again, she wondered what was so dangerous. The forest was one thing, but she guessed that there was something else out there. "Excuse me, but can you explain the situation here a little bit?"

Strider looked tiredly at her. "Perhaps another time. We must be up early tomorrow."

"Oh…" Lilo said. It seemed like that was that. From the time they first encounter each other, it seems now they at least semi-trusted her and Stitch. Tomorrow, then, she would have to develop more of their trust.

Lilo realized she couldn't get too involved in their affairs. She was the Earth's ambassador to the United Galactic Federation. As such, she should behave more like a diplomat. On this Middle Earth, she would try to be more of a representative of the Federation. Of course, there were rules to go by when having a first encounter. Not meddling in the planets dealings was one. Another was not revealing that they belonged to the Federation unless absolutely necessary.

She wondered how they would react to alien life forms. That, and what they would think if their rescue ship landed in the middle of the field the next day. And what if someone contacted them via the voice transmitter during something important? She would need to think of an excuse to usher Stitch away when the device rang for an incoming call.

"Something wrong?" asked Legolas, peering inquisitively at her.

"No, it's nothing."

Legolas tilted his head to the side in the most subtle of ways. The motion was so slight that Lilo almost missed it. Now, it seemed as if he was thinking about something as he remained examining her. As she gazed back, she realized how beautiful this person was. His skin gave off a soft, almost magical, glow. Though he appeared younger than the other two, something about his demeanor gave off something distinctly ancient.

"W-what is it?"

Strider spoke. "Young girl, my companion can tell if one is lying."

Lilo's eyes widened. "He can?" For some reason, she now felt a bit exposed in his presence. At the same time, she was amazed at such ability.

"So, would you tell us what is that you are thinking about?" Strider asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, play-acting like a stubborn child.

"Well, then. I'm going to get some rest," Gimli said. "You look tired yourself, girl. Sleep safely for now. With Legolas on watch, you can be rest assured."

"…Thank you," Lilo said, suddenly aware of how tired she was. Gimli handed her a cloak. Cuddling underneath next to Stitch, she tried to make herself most comfortable. Around the fire, she could hear Strider and Gimli prepare their sleeping spaces as well. Legolas, it seemed, had night duty.

Unfortunately between the cool night and the cold ground, the fire did not do much. Both Lilo and Stitch lay awake, looking up at the night sky. When she heard the gentle breathing of the two other sleeping, she turned on her side to Stitch.

Her friend was busy looking at the night sky. It was partly cloudy, so most of the stars were covered. A distressed look came across his face when he caught a view of the stars though a patch of clouds—it was not their constellations.

"Stitch," she whispered, hoping that Legolas would not hear. "What can you tell?"

The experiment rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Still looking," he said, scanning the clear patches of sky.

"Well, if you connect those ones," she pointed upward, drawing imaginary lines between the stars, "It makes Mr. Pleakley's figure." That got a smile out of Stitch, at least.

He lifted his hand up and did the same, pointing to various stars and connecting the specks of light. "Angel."

Lilo smiled. "Miss her?"

"Eih."

"You'll see her again, I'm sure."

Stitch pointed to the sky again, beginning to draw. Then, he stopped. His eyes squinted at one cluster of stars, and then widened. He then counted some of the brighter stars next to it, touched his head in thought, and then recounted. Brightly, he turned to Lilo. "Stitch knows those."

"Huh?" She couldn't even see what he was pointing at.

"Those not stars—planets," he said, directing her gaze to a patch of space. Then, he pointed to another, very dim star. "That is their sun."

"A solar system, then?" Lilo whispered excitedly. She narrowed her eyes. "How can you tell?"

"Stitch's eyesight good. Stitch feel solar radiation wavelength reflected off objects in space," Stitch seemed tired to explain.

"So, you recognize that one?"

"It called 'Gradua' solar system."

Lilo became excited. "Then, then…they will find us?"

"We very far away from nearest signal receiver."

Lilo was just glad that they weren't completely lost. Now, if only they could find their space ship. When they had first arrive, they were both unconscious in the field. Stitch had explained that the worm hold they had drove through—on purpose for fun—had separated their bodies from their ship. Thankfully, they had ended in the same area only a couple miles from each other.

Lilo looked up at the sky, but a cloud had come overhead, blocking the starlight. She turned on her side. At least now she could sleep peacefully without feeling completely lost.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLT

Most of the time I set a goal for my fics…like 'use this vocab word' or 'more descriptions' or 'more metaphors' or 'explain action scene.' But this one is pure crack. I mean muse. Yeah, muse.

So, if you'd like to see more, review. If you don't want to see more, review. Anything counts really. It's already mostly written out, but unless I get feedback it's going to stay between my friends and me.