Juliana studied the gentle face, "Who are you?"
A look of panic flashed in his eyes, "My name's Underhill."
She backed up wearily, discovering there were three others. She looked from one to the other, studying them. They were small, and they had rather large, hairy feet. They were - but wait, they couldn't be? But Underhill?
"You're hobbits, aren't you?" she asked, "and you're name isn't Underhill, is it? No, of course! You're Frodo Baggins!"
He eyed her suspiciously, "Who are you? What business do you have here?"
"Where am I?"
"We are on the edge of the Shire. I ask you again, what is your business?"
She looked thoughtful, looking at her hands and feet. She still looked and felt normal. But wait...she lifted her hand to her ear, only to feel that it didn't come to a point. ...Still human at least.
"I was hurt. There was an accident and now..." She looked up at the four hobbits, "I don't know why I'm here. I'm not from around here."
"Then where are you from?" piped up the hobbit to Frodo's left.
She managed to sit up, "I can't explain what's happened...I don't even understand it, I don't expect you lot to, either."
"I think you're a liar...you're a spy for Sauron! From Mordor! Don't trust her, Mister Frodo."
Juliana couldn't help but be amused, "You're Samwise Gamgee. And you two are Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. Where are you headed?"
Frodo ignored the pleas coming from Sam and stood up, helping her to her feet, "We are headed for the village of Bree. We are told that we are to meet our friend, Gandalf the Grey there. I'm afraid I should share no more with you, Stranger, for I do not know your name. What are you called?"
"My...name is Juliana Hendricks. I know what you're looking for...I know everything..."
"How do you know?" Pippin asked, gathering some food and putting it into his bag.
"I-"
How did she know? She panicked. She read the books, that's how she knew. But how was she to explain to four young hobbits that they were nothing but a fictional book written in the mid 1900s? She would have to make something up.
"I can see the future," she replied falsely, cursing herself.
Frodo turned to his companions, "We should let her travel with us. She knows much, yet she is so young. She could be of some help."
"Mister Frodo, it could be dangerous. We don't know anything about her."
"She knows what's going to happen, Sam. We need to trust her."
Merry and Pippin looked on in suspicion as the girl stood up and looked around. She was much taller than the others, granted they were hobbits, but she was not too tall for a human. Merely 5'3". Frodo sighed and turned back to the girl, "Will you come with us?"
She turned to the four hobbits, "Only if I'm wanted. I wouldn't want to impose."
Frodo, Merry and Pippin turned to Sam, who grumbled, "Yes, yes. We want you to come."
She nodded, "Fine then. But you won't get a lot of information out of me. I'm reluctant to be here as it is."
Merry studied her for the first time, "What are you wearing?"
This was the first time her wardrobe occurred to Juliana. She looked down at her attire. Her loose-fitting green khakis had dirt smeared over the knees, and a piece of the sleeve of her fitted black T-shirt was torn. Her white Adidas sneakers were scuffed and untied. Her loosely curled strawberry blonde hair fell carelessly below her shoulders.
"I told you, I am not from here," Juliana replied hurriedly.
"Then you shall wear my cloak," offered Frodo, taking his from his shoulders, "The nights are cold, and we do not want you to stand out."
"You're very trusting, Frodo," mused Juliana, "This is a rare quality. However - watch how freely you trust others in the future. You must learn to trust only yourself."
Sam's nostrils flared as he glared at the girl, but kept his mouth shut.
"Are we almost to Bree?" Merry asked, hours later as the rain began to pour from the heavens like broken faucets.
"Almost," Frodo replied breathlessly, looking up at Juliana, "And Gandalf awaits us there."
Juliana sighed, for she knew very well where Gandalf was, and it was not at the village of Bree. She, however, did not inform the little ones of this.
Only a short time later did they arrive in Bree. They swerved through the crowded, wet street, making their way to the Inn of the Prancing Pony. Juliana kept her hood up, and her arms folded beneath Frodo's cloak. She continued to ponder what she was doing in Middle Earth. Only then did she remember all the terrible things that were to become to the hobbits and the Fellowship. All the wars and death they would encounter. All the sorrow they would endure. She could change that. She could help Aragorn, King Théoden, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf avoid the attack on Helm's Deep. She could help Frodo to move away from his trusting nature. To be weary of Faramir and Boromir. To not feel such pity on Gollum. She could help them to avoid many deaths, just by simply telling them which roads not to take. But it was not that easy. She was not meant to change the course of Middle Earth's darkest time, even if it was a fictional place. A fictional place that she often visited in her fantasies. A place in which she was finally visiting. No, she decided, she would not tell the other of their fates, for they were meant to encounter them.
"You know something, I know you do. Tell me, Juliana, what will become of me?"
She gazed down at the small hobbit next to her, suddenly heavy with grief, "I cannot tell you anything, Frodo," she replied softly, resting her hand on his shoulder, "All I can tell you, is that you and your friends will endure a lot. But I can tell that you are strong, for such a small creature. It is fortunate that you would have this Ring, because you're not an ordinary hobbit."
Frodo looked up at her and smiled, through fear lurked in his eyes, "Just tell me. Will I live?"
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you any more."
Frodo sighed as they reached the Prancing Pony, "I understand."
He approached the bar with the other three hobbits. Juliana lurked behind them, her hood drawn over her head to shadow her feminine face.
"We're here for Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?"
A few minutes later, Frodo turned to the others in his company, "Gandalf isn't here."
"What are we going to do now?" Sam asked.
"He'll be here, Sam, I'm promise," Frodo replied, looking up at Juliana, "he will, won't he?"
Juliana ignored the question, "Frodo, you mustn't talk to me. I'm sure women aren't allowed in here, and I don't want to make a spectacle of myself."
Frodo nodded, and the five of them sat at table. Juliana kept her head down and out of the hobbit's conversation. She looked to her left and saw a man in the corner. His hood was drawn over his face. He stared in their direction as he idly smoked his pipe. "Aragorn," Juliana muttered quietly.
Merry looked over at her curiously, "what'd you say?"
Juliana shook her head, "nothing."
She continued to glance at the man through the corner of her eye.
Suddenly, Frodo jumped up, heading toward Pippin in a panic, trying to put an end to the conversation that could ruin his cover. Pippin stood up and Frodo tripped, tumbling backward onto the floor, the Ring flying out of his hand. Juliana whirled around, the hood of her cloak falling off her covered head. The mysterious man in the corner abruptly sat up, watching the scene unfold in front of him. Frodo caught the Ring on his finger and disappeared within seconds. Juliana stood up and threw the cloak back over her head and the man headed toward the table. Juliana looked around for where Frodo would reappear, but saw nothing.
"What's going on?" asked Merry worriedly. Juliana brushed him aside and continued to look around in time to see the man drag Frodo up a flight of stairs.
"There he goes! Come on!" Sam exclaimed, grabbing Pippin and Merry, taking off after them.
"No! Wait!" Juliana cried, taking off after the hobbits. She was too late. The three of them burst into the room, followed by Juliana. The man looked at the three hobbits then up to the strange girl, who had taken her hood off.
"Who's the girl?"
"My name is Juliana."
"And you're human?"
Juliana nodded, suddenly intimidated by the man she knew was perfectly harmless to friends. Friends...what if he didn't trust her?
"She sees the future!" Pippin chirped.
"Pippin!" Merry, hissed, nudging the other hobbit.
"Is this true?" the man asked, an amused smirk playing on his lips.
"Well...sort of," Juliana croaked, looking around.
"You are young," he observed, "do you know what hunts the hobbits?"
"I do," Juliana replied, her voice just under a whisper.
"Then you will help me to protect them?"
She nodded and closed the door behind her.
"You're obviously not from these lands. Tell me of your history."
The hobbits sat in the corner by the fire, chewing away at some fresh food.
"I'm afraid I can't," she replied, sitting down, "Aragorn."
"You know my true name. You mustn't utter it to the others around here. Here, I am known as a Ranger called Strider. Now please, tell me of your history."
"I told you, I can't. And I am young. Barely sixteen. I am not, as I have told the little ones many times, from these lands. I can't explain how I know all that I know, because I hardly understand it. All I know, is that they have a long journey ahead of them. But I also know what you seek," Juliana said softly, looking up at the man's rugged face, "You seek to find yourself. You are the heir to the throne of Gondor."
Panic glimmered on his face, "How do you know...?"
"I told you, I cannot say. You can't ask any more of me."
"You have such a strange name, Juliana," Strider replied, looking at her suspiciously as he hung his clock off to the side, lighting another pipe as he took a seat by the window sill, "You are indeed strange people, Juliana Hendricks. But if you can help, you may join us on our quest for Rivendell. There, the elves will know what to do."
Juliana frowned. If only he knew...