Title & Chapter Number: The Wayward Wish 1/14
Author(s): - Author's Index
Website: Tortured Scribes
Fandom: Tolkien
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Thank you J.R.R. for the wonderful playground of Middle Earth. Thank you Peter for the wonderful playground created by your casting department. I don't own any copyrighted material in this fic, I'm just borrowing it and I promise to return it when I'm done. Did I mention I have no money?
Warnings: None
Betas: Alex and Hedda
Cast: Characters for Lord of the Rings, Original Female Character
Timeline: Lord of the Rings AU
Spoilers: Fellowship of the Ring
Summary: The realities of being a modern woman zapped back in time to Middle Earth - minus the fluff.
Notes: Elvish is Sindarin; If it looks like Tolkien and it sounds like Tolkien, it probably is. He wrote it first, he wrote it best, I'm just repeating it for storytelling purposes and make no claim that I came up with it. Everyone else has done the Modern Female in M.E., so now it's my turn. Hopefully, I've done it with a bit of style and believability.
Chapter One - Databases, Copiers, and the Great Outdoors
There was a time when the words `I wish' were spoken with great care. The God of Wishes was a powerful force in the world. But Humans became greedy and began to make wishes nonstop. The God of Wishes became angry with the Humans and decided to teach them a lesson. He quit granting wishes except those that he could twist to amuse him. So as time passed only the most foolish would utter the words `I wish'. Mothers warned their children, `Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it'. As Humans quit wishing, the God of Wishes fell into a deep slumber. After many, many years he was forgotten and Humans uttered the words `I wish' with impunity. They never expected to have their wishes granted or they would have been much more careful about what they wished for. But Gods never truly disappear, and on occasion, the God of Wishes would stir as a wayward wish disturbed his sleep. So be careful what you wish for, you never know who may be listening.
Jessy rubbed the aching muscles in her neck. Sighing, she entered the last receipt into the company database. It was past ten o'clock at night, and she was the only person left in the building. Even the janitor, Louie, had gone home hours ago. She looked around the dark, empty office and wished the company were large enough to warrant a security guard. Well, the sooner she finished the sooner she could go home. She queried the computer and the database began to formulate a response. She wondered idly if she could get a cab out here this late at night. Her car had broken down, and she didn't relish the walk home, wearing a silk a-line skirt, blouse, and pumps; she wasn't exactly dressed for the three-mile hike. Her stomach growled, and she silently cursed her boss, a twenty-something college graduate who couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag. She had started at this company when she was eighteen and in five years had only managed to make her way up to executive secretary. Which meant she did all the work and he took all the credit. Bastard! The printer hummed and clicked, spitting out the results of her search. Three pages later, the query was complete.
"That's it!" She huffed as she surveyed the results.
Grumbling she snatched the report off the printer. Pausing to slip on her heels, she hurried to the copy room on the first floor. She had learned long ago never to relinquish the original of her work. Whatever idiot was in charge invariable lost a report now and again.
She entered the stairwell griping to herself. "Five and half hours of entering customer data to print a lousy three page report so my boss can look good tomorrow at the district meeting."
The sadistic jerk loved to torture her, waiting till almost the end of the day to drop a stack of orders on her desk that needed to be added immediately to the database. The receipts should have been entered into the computer by the data entry department, but he absolutely needed them added right away so he could have a complete count of all the customers in the 727 area code.
Jessy jerked open the door on the first floor landing. The metal security edging snagged her hose and sent a run down her leg.
"Shit!"
Ignoring the fact that this was her last good pair of pantyhose and she would have to stop on the way home to buy a pair for in the morning, she made her way through the dark office to the copy room.
Slapping the report into the auto feeder, she pressed the large green Start button on the copier. The copier hummed and promptly pulled all three pages into the feeder belt effectively jamming the machine.
"Agghhh, I wish I were in a place where asshole bosses, databases, and copiers didn't exist!" she screamed at the machine.
She lifted the copier lid and began to work the originals free. In the distance, she heard a rumble of thunder. If she hadn't been so intent on the paper jam, she might have realized that the thunder sounded suspiciously like laughter. The God of Wishes had heard Jessy and decided to grant her wish.
Jessy had just about worked the last page free, when the world around her exploded. Bright light filled her vision as she was hurled backwards.
Oh shit, she thought, it must be a bomb.
Panic filled her as she realized she would probably die. Her life flashed before her eyes, and she didn't like what she saw. She was twenty-three years old and had reached the glass ceiling in the small chemical company she worked for. She lived alone and didn't even have a steady boyfriend. She saved herself for a marriage that would never happen and didn't even have the satisfaction of bringing a new life into the world. She would die having accomplished nothing. The impact with the floor was worse than she had imagined, knocking the wind from her.
Jessy tried desperately to draw air into her oxygen-starved lungs. Bright spots popped against her closed eyelids. Finally, her lungs began to work, and she sucked in air.
Don't just lay here you idiot. You have to get out, she thought.
Sitting up, she looked around and found that instead of a blazing inferno, she was sitting in a wooded clearing.
It was night still. The moon lit the world just enough for Jessy to make out some of her surroundings. The air was icy and cut through her thin clothing. She shivered uncontrollably as she slowly got to her feet. Her shoes lay on the ground and she picked them up. The grassy clearing was covered with dead leaves and small patches of snow. The night was unnaturally silent. No crickets or insects could be heard serenading. From her left a twig, snapped in the distance. Jessy suddenly regretted the Friday the 13th marathon she had indulged in over the weekend. Images of a hockey masked, machete wielding, mass-murderer filled her head. She resisted the urge to call out like the stupid bimbos in the franchise. Turning, she tried to move quietly in the opposite direction.
No use in sounding like a herd of bull elephants, she thought to herself.
A louder snap and some rustling behind her prompted her to forget about quiet and run.
She ran for what seemed like hours, before the stitch in her side forced her to walk. Dawn was fast approaching and the forest was filled with an eerie gray mist. Her body was covered with sweat, making the icy wind seem colder. She tried desperately to control her panicked breathing, but she didn't exercise on a regular basis and running had taken its toll. All around her an unnatural silence continued to prevail, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being stalked. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath.
~*~*~*~
Aragorn moved silently through the forest, checking the perimeter of the camp where the Hobbits were settling down for the day. They were several days out of Imladris, and Aragorn feared their luck at not being discovered would run out. He heard the girl long before he saw her. Her breathing was erratic like she had been running for a great distance. His hand strayed to his sword as he sniffed the air. He was downwind but didn't detect the foul odor normally associated with orcs. The girl's head snapped up like she heard something in the direction she had come from. He stepped out from behind the tree to intercept her.
Jessy thought she heard a twig snapping. Keeping her head turned towards the sound, she bolted forward. She never saw the man step from behind the tree and barreled right into him. She went down with a shriek. Looking up, she saw a dark haired man in his thirties. He was dressed in a strange leather outfit and at his side was what looked like a sword. Her rational mind had long since given way to her imagination. She didn't see a possible savior; instead, she saw her killer. Screaming, she desperately tried to regain her footing, but only succeeded in pushing herself backwards along the ground.
From behind him, Aragorn heard Boromir rushing towards him. From behind the girl, Legolas stepped from the mist, arrow at the ready. Aragorn raised his hands in a calming gesture, more to let Legolas know that the girl was harmless than anything else. Legolas nodded at Aragorn and melted back into the foliage.
A second man, shorter and broader than the first, came crashing through the brush. He had a sword drawn and a wild look in his eyes. It was enough for Jessy. Her fight or flight response kicked in. Chucking her heels at the men, she leaped to her feet and ran in the opposite direction. She didn't get far before strong arms encircled her waist and lifted her kicking and screaming off the ground.
Legolas had jumped after the girl when she had bolted. He grabbed her preventing her escape, when she turned into a wild cat. Screaming and screeching, she kicked her arms and legs in an honest effort to get him to loosen his hold. She was beyond reasoning with, and he called to Aragorn to help him.
Aragorn moved in front of Legolas and the girl. Ducking her swinging arms, he slapped her face.
Pain exploded on Jessy's face. She quit struggling and brought a hand up to cradle her throbbing cheek. Tears stung her eyes as she stared at the man who had just stuck her.
"I'm sorry, but you were out of control. I had no choice but to strike you."
From behind them a voice called, "Who have you found Aragorn?"
"A strange girl, Gandalf. I don't know who, but I intend to find out." He answered.
Legolas set the girl on her feet, but kept his hands on her shoulders in case she decided to try and run again.
"Who are you?" Aragorn asked sharply.
"Jessy Sander," she answered weakly. "I think I'm lost."
"Well, now you have been found, child. What are you doing in the forest, and who were you running from?" Gandalf asked.
"I… You see…" Jessy struggled for an explanation that would make sense. None came, so she just blurted out her story in a rambling tangent about slave driving bosses, bombs and demonic copiers.
Gandalf understood little of her explanation, except that she had made a very foolish wish. He noted the lightness of her clothing and how she shivered with cold. Turning to Aragorn, he said, "Perhaps we should continue this back at the camp. The child may freeze to death, if we do not do something soon. I sense no evil in her."
Aragorn nodded and grabbed Jessy by the elbow, pulling her in the direction of the camp. He paused long enough for Boromir to shove her shoes in her arms.
Back at the camp, Gimli and the Hobbits sighed with relief when Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf and Legolas returned. They were curious about the girl, but waited for Gandalf to explain.
Boromir dug into his pack and pulled out a spare cloak. "Here, put this on before your chattering teeth brings an Orc army upon us."
Jessy thanked him and tried not to wrinkle her nose as she wrapped the thick cloak around herself. It smell like leather, old sweat, and something suspiciously like wet dog. Obviously, these people had never heard of laundry detergent. But it was warm, and beggars couldn't be choosy.
Gandalf made introductions all the way around before handing, Jessy what looked like an apple. Her stomach growled as she accepted the fruit causing her to blush and apologize.
The travelers seemed to accept her presence, and the Hobbits were especially intrigued with her. After days of travel, she brought a bit of excitement into an otherwise dreary trip.
Before long, the Hobbits and Jessy were curled up together asleep. They trusted Gandalf's opinion that the girl was harmless. Gimli was dozing nearby, while Boromir and Legolas were standing guard. Aragorn and Gandalf talked softly about their unexpected guest.
"The question remains: what do we do with her?" Aragorn asked.
"We are too far from Imladris to take her back, and leaving her here is out of the question. If Saruman or Sauron's forces found her, she could inadvertently give us away. Besides from the look of her, she would never survive alone."
"I do not know, Gandalf. Taking her could jeopardize the mission. You are right about not surviving on her own but what if we run into trouble. We have enough to worry about with the Hobbits, without adding a wayward girl to the fray."
Gandalf sighed, "When we reach the other side of the mountains, we may be able to leave her at a village. But until, then we have no choice but to take her along."
Aragorn didn't like it, but he knew that Gandalf was right. He stood and motioned to Boromir to get some sleep.
~*~*~*~
"Wake up, girl. We have no time to dawdle."
Jessy was rudely awakened that evening by Boromir's booted foot to her backside. Groaning, she slowly sat up, her back screaming in protest. Around her, the others were awake and beginning to get ready to leave. Standing on shaky legs, she wanted nothing more than to relieve her aching bladder. She groaned to herself, when she realized that the possibility of a port-a-potty being nearby was a hopeless long shot. She moved toward the edge of the clearing, thinking that she would trade a year's worth of paychecks for one roll of toilet tissue.
"Where do you think you are going?" a soft voice called from behind her.
Jessy turned to find the Elf standing behind her. She tried not to think about how handsome he was as she searched for something to tell him. Unable to think of anything, she tried the truth. Blushing, she stammered, "I have to …". But found she was unable to complete the sentence.
Legolas watched as the girl turned crimson. He guessed her reasons and said, "Do not be long, and do not go to far."
She nodded and, if possible, turned a deeper shade of red. Legolas sighed. He had forgotten how embarrassed mortals got over simple functions of nature.
Jessy slipped gratefully between two trees and hurried further into the woods. No matter what the Elf had said, she was going to make sure that no one stumbled on to her. She found a small creek and took care of business behind a small clump of bushes.
Going to the creek to wash her hands, she was shocked at how awful she looked. Half of her brown hair was still secured in the bun she had twisted it into last night at work. The other half was a snarled mess, hanging in clumps around her shoulders. Leaves and twigs had nested in the whole mess. Her face was filthy and covered with small scratches. Thank god she didn't have time to put on makeup yesterday morning. She would hate to see the result of sleeping in waterproof mascara.
She plunged her hands in the icy water and cleaned her face as best as possible. After picking what leaves and twigs she could out of her hair, she twisted it back up into a somewhat serviceable bun. She hated to think about how long it would take her to properly comb out her hair.
Realizing that she had taken more time then she had intended, she hurried back towards the camp. Halfway there, she ran into Legolas. He looked disapprovingly at her.
"I told you not to go far. Hurry, the others are ready to go, and Aragorn is in no mood to wait."
Jessy hurried back to camp and slipped on her shoes. The pumps weren't made for walking, but they would have to do.
Aragorn stared at the ridiculous shoes the girl wore. Silly chit, he thought, she would break her neck if she wore those.
"Give me the shoes." Aragorn commanded.
"What?" Jessy asked. Wondering what he wanted with her shoes.
"You will not get far with them like that. Give them to me." He explained.
"No way. I saw Romancing the Stone. These are real Italian leather, and I spent six months saving for them. I'm not going to let you hack them to bits."
Aragorn started to slowly advance as Jessy began to back up.
"Watch o-." Pippin's warning came to late.
Jessy's foot caught an exposed root, and she lost her balance. She landed hard on her rear and winced as a loud rip cut the morning air. Looking down, she saw that her skirt had ripped on a side seam, exposing a quarter of her right thigh.
Boromir moved with a speed that was surprising for a man of his stature. He snatched Jessy's shoes off her feet and tossed them to Aragorn. Aragorn laid them on a rock and promptly hacked off the heels.
"Much better", he tossed them back at Jessy.
"You shit!" Jessy moaned.
Aragorn ignored the girl and glanced at Boromir. "See that she keeps up."
Boromir inwardly winced. He wanted nothing to do with the troublesome girl, but Aragorn was giving him no choice.
He turned to the girl and offered her a hand up. "My lady," sarcasm laced his tone.
Jessy ignored the offered hand. Slipping on her now ruined shoes, she got to her feet and stomped off after the others, her ears ringing with the sound of Boromir's laughter.
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