Lady of the Ring

Chapter 5

"Anne, it's time to wake up. We must be on our way soon," a voice informed her, shaking her shoulder gently.

"It's too early," Anne groaned and turned over.

"What should I do Mr. Frodo?" the voice asked.

The name made Anne open her eyes. Sam was kneeling next to her with a bright smile plastered across his face.

"Good morning Anne! I've already cooked breakfast," he said cheerfully.

Anne screamed.

"No, no, no," she repeated to herself, shaking her head in disbelief. "This can't be happening."

"Why am I still dreaming? Why can't I wake up? What is happening to me?" she asked in rapid succession as the panic soared within her to overwhelming proportions. Her mind was racing uncontrollably as she tried to understand her situation.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered in horror as she came to a startling revelation.

I'm in a dream that I can't wake up from!

Her mind immediately wandered to the movie Inception before Anne burst into tears. She remembered that the main character had been stuck in the dream world for decades, and there were still debates about if he really made it out of the dream. Too freaked out to hold in her emotions anymore, she covered her face as she cried harder.

"Don't look at me!" she sobbed and turned away from the hobbits. She had always been an ugly crier.

"Try not to worry Anne," Frodo advised and sat next to her. He patted her shoulder in a comforting manner before continuing. "Gandalf is seeking the answers for you right now. He will find a way to send you home. We just have to meet him in Bree and it is only a two-day journey from here," he reminded her encouragingly.

Anne furrowed her brows as she mulled over his words. Her mind briefly flickered to The Wizard of Oz and she thought maybe Frodo had a point. Of course, none of it made sense. But, if she was stuck in a dream, a wizard would be the person to get her out of it somehow.

Anne's tears slowly subsided as hope began to return to her. She let out a whimper and hiccupped before she used a clean part of Gandalf's cloak to wipe her nose.

"Yeah, you're right," she agreed as she batted away the last of her tears. "I just need to calm down until Bree. I can do that," she asserted aloud in an attempt to convince herself. "None of this makes sense...I'm trapped inside my own dream...but at least it's not a nightmare. I'm just going to be calm and not freak out until we get to Bree," she reiterated to herself, nodding several times.

Yes. I can do that. I'll be fine. Everything will be okay.

I just need to make it to Bree and everything will be fine.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Sam asked delicately, careful of her fragile state of mind.

Anne nodded. "That would be great, thanks."

Sam went off to make her plate while Anne took several deep breaths to calm herself. He returned carrying a plate that had two slices of bacon, a thick slice of ham and a large piece of plain bread on it.

"This will make you feel better," he assured her confidently as he handed her the plate. "Bacon always makes folks happy," he reasoned.

He had her there.

"I can't argue with that logic," Anne replied with a small smile of thanks.

If she had to stay stuck in Middle-earth, she was at least grateful to be in the company of two kind hobbits. Things could have been worse; she could've woken up in Erebor with a dragon next to her. She thought back to the story Frodo told her and shivered. Yeah, things could definitely be worse.