Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognise, nor the world this story is based in. And really, thank goodness that's the case because there's no way I could look after them in the way Tolkein did and then I'd have a whole load of angry LOTR fans after me. :)
What I did over the weekend:
I normally dislike writing these things. I never know what to say, I never do anything over the weekend, that's the whole point of a weekend. This weekend was different, so I'm glad you asked me. I doubt you'll believe me, and you'll probably tell me off for writing fiction when I should be reporting fact but that's what I'm doing. I promise.
It was Saturday morning, at least I think it was. It was certainly the morning after I'd gone to sleep on Friday evening. I woke up to the sound of birds singing and a brook babbling, I sighed in contentment, my eyes still closed. Snuggling myself deeper under the covers I rolled over and settled down for a snooze, it was the weekend after all. A cough pulled me away from this luxury and I opened my eyes.
Then I opened them wider. Closing them, I rubbed a few times to get the sleepy dust out of them and opened once again. The scene hadn't changed. Gone was my lovely bed, gone was my lovely room, gone was my lovely radiator. In their places were soft grass, a forest and a golden sun. Also, a tall man with long brown hair and a frown on his face. I guess that's where the cough came from.
"umm?" I asked, showing my full intelligence from the outset.
"Rana, veuya amin a i'Bereth"1
I looked up in confusion, the words he spoke and the voice he spoke them with were the most beautiful I had ever heard, full of gently music, more joyful than the brook nearby, more of a song than the singing of the birds in the trees. However, I understood none of it. He held out a hand to help me stand and I took it, surprised to see that my shorts pyjamas had changed into a flowing light blue dress that reached the ground. I liked the dress but hoped my pyjamas weren't lost forever, they had been my favourite pair.
He turned silently away from me and walked deeper into the forest. Unsure whether to follow him or not I walked slowly behind him, deep in thought. I was pretty sure this wasn't a dream, I mean I wouldn't dream in a language I couldn't understand. The only problem was that all I could think was 'that's an elf!' I'd seen the ears as he helped me up. So that meant that I was in Middle Earth, either Lothlorien or Mirkwood by the looks of things. That didn't help me so much, how did I get there? How do I get home? I was just beginning to panic when my breath was taken away completely.
We had come out into a clearing and in the middle was a huge tree. Dangling from the lowest branch (a mere 20 feet above my head) was a rope ladder. My guide, or captor I wasn't sure which, jumped onto the ladder and scrambled up. I stared. I was not convinced! I hate ladders at the best of times but this one was swinging. No way! A rather urgent beckoning from my elvish companion forced me to swallow my fear and climb the ladder. Once I reached the branch I was relieved to see ladders were no longer necessary. A huge platform supported a fine staircase, it looked almost to be made of light. I have no idea what material it was but none that survives to this day that's for sure. This time my escort instructed me, in a version of sign language, to go before him. I did so, marvelling as I climbed at the beauty around me. I'd decided this was probably Lothlorien and not mirkwood. I sure hoped so because I'd much rather meet the Lady of the Golden Wood than the guy who throws dwarves and hobbits in his dungeons! The staircase wound around and around the trunk of the tree, kinda like in the film only it wasn't covered and it was steeper. Anyways, I got the top and stepped out onto a platform about as big as the stage in the school theatre. Sitting on the edge where two elves, both on throne-like chairs. They both looked up at me and smiled. I bobbed the world's worst curtsey and looked up at them.
"Welcome to Lothlorien" said the male, Celeborn I presume. The female, Galadriel, just smiled again.
"Thank you my Lord, my Lady," I replied. Not sure what else to say. "umm," the pair looked up me kindly,
"can I ask you a couple of questions?"
"Of course,"
"Why am I here? How do I get home? How long will I be here? How come you speak English?"
Celeborn looked taken aback by the stream of enquiry rushing from my mouth but Galadriel laughed. "I don't know why you're here. You will get home when it is time for you to go, do not worry about that. You will be here as long as you are needed. I speak 'English' as you say because it is our common tongue."
My jaw dropped. Never before had someone replied to all my questions in quite that manner. I pulled my mouth closed and thought over her answer, for some reason the last answer was the one that bothered me most, I suppose the Lothlorien atmosphere was calming me.
"But that's impossible!"
"I do not pretend to understand the power of Eru but I believe that with him nothing is impossible, you will be returned to your home do not worry."
"No, not that bit. If English is the common tongue then that means this in England before we start history, which I could almost believe but I know that English has changed beyond recognition just in the last 1000 years and for it to have changed into something that you're saying it was before history began, well that's just impossible!"
Galadriel chuckled at my disbelief, "Perhaps we should introduce you to the rest of our guests?" My head snapped up at that, the rest of her guests, could it be…? Even as I mocked myself for daring to hope 8 people emerged from the staircase.
"your name?" whispered Celeborn to me, I looked at him, startled, "Oh! Um, it's Amy really but could it be Imoen whilst I'm here please?" I blushed as I made my request, "of course, my dear both names are beautiful but I think Imoen suits you very well." my blush deepened but this time with pleasure. Galadriel stood up now,
"My friends, we have a new guest let me introduce Imoen to you all, Imoen this is Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Pippin, Merry and Frodo."
I bobbed my pathetic excuse for a curtsey once again and smiled up at the fellowship, I toyed with telling them they were famous but decided against it, don't want to spoil the story for myself back in the future! "It's a pleasure to meet you all,"
"The pleasure is all ours I assure you, my Lady," replied Aragorn holding out his arm to me to go down the stairs with him. My eyes flicked over to Galadriel before I reached out and took the offered arm and walked back to the ground with him. I have to say I was slightly annoyed to find the staircase continued right to ground level on the other side of the tree to the rope ladder.
I spent the next couple of hours lounging around with the fellowship who had been here for a few days already. We chatted and laughed, I think they were relieved to have some one new in their midst. I kept having to catch myself from mentioning the ring, they didn't realise I knew and finding out would produce far too many questions! After a particularly long laughing spell I laid myself down on the floor, watching through the tree tops and the clouds whispered across the sky. I smiled, I liked being in Middle Earth. I just hoped I wasn't gone too long, I missed home as well.
Hearing a sigh off to my right I looked up, everyone except Boromir and myself had disappeared, he seemed lost in thought, barely aware of my presence. I quietly got up and made to leave but stopped as I saw him bury his head in his hands,
"My Lord?" I asked softly. His jerked his head up, a hard glint in his eyes rapidly replacing the anguish he didn't want to display. He made no move to speak to me, preferring to simply look, daring me to comment. Well, I had to, he dared me.
"may I sit here?" Ok so that wasn't a comment but after a nod of his head I sat on a log in front of him and looked straight at him,
"temptation is a hard thing." The stunned look on his face was enough encouragement for me to continue, "you are a proud man, a strong warrior, your people look up to, and rightly so. But weakness is not something to be ashamed of, no one can be perfect and Eru does not ask you to be perfect. You are being tempted to take the ring, I know. But you know in your heart that by taking the ring you would turn your friends and your city over to evil. I need not tell you this, you have been told before. Let me tell you something far more important. Your heart will win the argument in the end. I know that. Do not blame yourself that you are being tempted, instead focus your energy on beating back that temptation, it will take a strong will but you have that, don't you my Lord? I know that you would fight the world and give up your life for the rest of the fellowship, you are a warrior, this is just another battle. Never give up faith and hope, promise me to trust me when I say that you will succeed." I stopped, as the first tears fell from my eyes. I looked up at him, smiling, trying to make him understand without words,
"My Lady, do not cry, I do know how you understand my inner thoughts but I thank you for your words, I do trust you, it is myself I do not trust."
"Shh, enough has been said, you are safe here in Lothlorien do not let your thoughts cloud your time here." I smiled again and moved next to him on the log, we sat in silence for a few minutes before Merry and Pippin bounced back into the clearing,
"ooh, did we interrupt something?" asked Merry with a wink and a laugh and that was the order of the day until night fell.
Unable to sleep I decided that a moonlit walk was in order and stood up. Coming into the clearing I smiled as I saw the whole fellowship at rest, I sighed to myself as I thought of the things they had yet to go through before their quest was at an end, they would each come out different. I was glad I had been able to meet them at this point, whilst still near the beginning. A gleam caught my eye as I realised Boromir lay awake, watching me, I crept nearer and crouched down beside him,
"I'm pretty sure I won't be here in the morning," I whispered, "you will remember what I said won't you? No! don't answer, just listen. I know beyond doubt you will beat this" my whisper must have been pretty fierce because he looked somewhat taken aback, thankfully the moonlight was not enough for him to see the unshed tears and catch in my throat that had caused it. "Close your eyes, sleep Lord of Gondor" I commanded and as he closed his eyes, I leaned in and kissed him gently on the forehead, whispering "Sleep peacefully", and walked out of the clearing. Lying down I fell quickly into a dreamless sleep.
"Amy!! Are you awake?"
"hmm? Mum, what time is it?"
"10, it's time you got ready for church"
"Church? It's Sunday!?"
"Yes sleepy head, you slept the whole day away yesterday, I couldn't get you to say more than 'go away, I'm tired' all day!" The laughter in her voice sounded merrily as I struggled to understand what this meant.
"Ok, I'll get up." I watched as mum left the room, as soon as the door clicked shut I raced over to the bookshelf and found my copy of Lord Of the Rings, skimming through everything from their arrival in Lothlorien. The book was the same weight which I took as a good sign, I just prayed I hadn't changed anything. Nothing was different until my eyes were arrested by the sight of six new words, I've copied out the passage below:
Aragorn knelt beside him. Boromir opened his eyes and strove to speak. At last slow words came. "I tried to take the Ring from Frodo," he said. "I am sorry. I have paid. Tell Imoen she was nearly wrong." His glance strayed to his fallen enemies; twenty at least lay there.
My eyes blurred with tears as I continued to skim, nothing seemed to have changed apart from that and I was thankful for it. But more than that, I was thankful he had remembered.
1 Translation: "Wanderer, follow me to the Queen." Apologies if that's wrong but I don't speak Elvish.