Two Sides of the Same Coin.
An A/N from AngelofGrace: This is a fan fiction of Lord of the Rings, reviews will be welcomed, but we don't know if suggestions will change the path of the story, so stay tuned and review to your hearts content. Also, we can promise to post this every week, on the dot, so you won't be waiting ages for this. Now, on to the official statement!
Age Guide
100 is the age at which elves 'come of age' in this story so the elven age of 100 is more or less the same as the human age of eighteen. Alanna isn't 100 yet so she is effectively a teenager. Below is a more detailed guide.
Elvish Age/ Human Age
20/10
30/11
40/12
50/13
60/14
70/15
80/16
90/17
100/18
Angela: Alright for whoever actually reads my crap, listen up! Opal and I are writing this together... sort of. Opal did most of the work but I did the editing and came up with ideas (the rethos idea was mine, just so you know). Opal did a truly awesome job on this, I just gave her motivation and ideas. With that done, on with the story.
Opal: Angela, I think you forgot something.
Angela: What?
Opal: *sarcasm* Oh I don't know... Maybe... The disclaimer
Angela: *bangs head against wall*
Opal: Stop that this minute! You're turning into Dobby!
Angela: *tries and fails to walk in a straight line* This is why you're here, Opal, to keep me as sane as possible.
Opal: *snickers* That's not much!
Angela: HEY!
Opal: Anyhow. You lot *turns to readers, hands on hips* will recognise characters that belong to J.R.R. Tolkien and don't you forget it! However, although neither of us own Lord of the Rings, the character Alanna belongs to us.
Angela: Yeah! *winces as Opal cuffs her upside the head* Ow!
Opal: Quiet!
Angela: Bye!
Opal: I said, quiet!
Angela: Yes, Miss Koboi.
Opal: You know full well that you are to address me as 'Your Majesty', missy! *proceeds to grab random sword that is lying on teacher's desk and chases Angela around and around the classroom, much to the amusement of the other students, until teacher enters and puts both girls in detention*
Prologue
Alanna didn't always have MPD, it was caused by an injury, one day when she was sparring with Legolas in the forest. Before that though, her father, Elrond, Lord of Rivendell had decided to send Alanna, along with a whole host of tutors, to Mirkwood, to arrange a suitable alliance between Legolas, the son of the king of Mirkwood, and Alanna, as the two were the same age, give or take a couple of years. He knew he would miss his youngest daughter terribly, but he also knew that if, as he hoped, Legolas and Alanna were to be a successful couple, which he also hoped would not happen for several decades, no matter how successful the marriage could be, then they should spend as much time together as possible. So he sent his 15 year old daughter off to stay with the then 17 year old Legolas, and hoped for the best.
Alanna spent several years in Mirkwood, spending almost all of her time, free or otherwise with her best friend, Legolas. Because she spent so much time with a boy, she picked up some very tomboyish habits. She decided to leave her jet-black hair the way it was and the most she ever did with it was pull it all up into a ponytail so that it didn't get in the way. She had sapphire-blue eyes that, when she was cross, gave new meaning to the phrase, 'If looks could kill'. She did not enjoy wearing dresses for any reason, although Legolas teased her about it every time she did. She was an excellent archer and could hit a spiders thread at forty paces, but her true skill was with a sword.
At the age of 45, she had beaten Legolas in a sword fight, and he had never beaten her since.
This led them to their current situation. It was 15 years later (Alanna was now 60), and Legolas was, for the umpteenth time, trying to beat Alanna in a swordfight. This time, they were fighting along a narrow forest trail, overhung with branches and covered in rabbit holes. After about the 50th time Alanna had beaten Legolas in a swordfight, she started letting him pick the settings, in the knowledge that not all fights would be fought on a fair ground, and she really should practice on all sorts of terrains. So far they had fought in the middle of the woods, along the banks of the river that ran through Mirkwood (they both got very wet on that day as they had eventually abandoned their swords and gone for a swim instead) and they had even fought each other on horseback.
Alanna was smirking at Legolas as he swiped at her fruitlessly again and again, while she parried every time. They were moving along the path as they fought and Alanna, through no fault of her own, was walking backwards, so she did not notice the large branch lying across the path behind her until she tripped over it and fell to the ground.
Legolas dropped his sword, ran over to help Alanna and found that she had hit her head when she fell and had been knocked out. A few moments later, Alanna stirred, opened her eyes and Legolas immediately knew that something was wrong. Her eyes were different somehow. They were less piercing and didn't give you the usual feeling that Alanna could somehow read your mind anymore.
'Alanna?' Legolas asked, cautiously. He expected one of her trademark sharp replies as in 'No. I'm the Queen of Gondor. Of course it's me! Who in Middle Earth did you think it was?' but instead she said, 'Hello.'
This would have been perfectly alright with Legolas had Alanna not almost immediately come out with, 'And, you are?'
Uh-oh, thought Legolas. I think the word strawberries would fit nicely here.
Aloud he said, 'Prince Legolas at your service.'
'Oh you silly, silly girl, Charlotte' the girl who looked like Alanna said to herself as she sat up. She then addressed Legolas. 'But, still, technically this is the first time I've seen you so I think I have an excuse, don't you?'
Her voice was different. It was lighter and slightly higher in pitch as well. A more girly voice than her normal one.
This last statement left Legolas stumped. His brain tried, and failed, several times, to process what was going on until he finally decided to go with the flow and think later.
'So... you aren't Alanna?' he asked.
'Oh don't be silly, your Highness!' she giggled. 'Of course I'm not!'
That's it, thought Legolas. This girl is definitely not Alanna. Alanna never giggles or dares to address me by my title.
'Then who are you?' he asked out loud.
She extended her hand. 'I am Charlotte. Nice to meet you officially, your Highness. Oh, and before I forget, thank you for knocking Alanna out. It is very nice to be out of there.'
Legolas tentatively shook her hand. 'It wasn't technically me, actually, but you're welcome.' I think...
'It is good to be out of there,' Charlotte said happily. 'I have been wanting to take control for such a long time. Ever since Alanna almost got herself killed by that dragon.'
Two years ago, Legolas and Alanna had sneaked off (that is, Alanna had sneaked off, and Legolas followed, so as to try and keep her out of trouble) to accompany a party of 13 dwarves and a hobbit as they robbed the treasure hoard of a particularly malicious dragon. Legolas, who was almost as good with a bow as Alanna, had managed to shoot the dragon, but not before Alanna (who had somehow ended up on the dragon) had fallen off the dragon and into the lake below. Alanna had come away from the incident with most of her ribs broken, a broken left arm and a spectacular cut running the length of her right (unbroken) arm. All of her injuries were due to the dragon slamming his tail into her as she fell and she had remained unconscious for a week. There had been much debate amongst the elves of Mirkwood as to whether she would survive but Alanna had woken a week later seeming perfectly normal and no one suspected a thing.
Uh-oh, thought Legolas, returning from his memories of the dragon disaster to the realities of the present disaster, Multiple Personality Disorder. I should have known that she wouldn't have been quite right after injuries that were that serious. And then he thought, Lord Elrond is going to murder me.
While Legolas was coming to this conclusion, Charlotte was complaining about Alanna and how she was soooooo tomboyish and never did this right with her hair and never got that quite right with her clothes and blah blah blah. Legolas wondered exactly how long it would take Charlotte to drive him insane.
'For the sake of my sanity, would you kindly shut up?' he asked finally. She fell silent, watching him.
If Alanna could see this idiot, she would die of embarrassment, Legolas thought as he got to his feet and started pacing back and forth across the path.
Inside Alanna's head
Alanna found herself in what appeared to be her bedroom in Mirkwood. The only difference was that one of the walls appeared to be a large window. In reality, Alanna was inside her own head and the 'window' looked out onto the real world. She could see what Charlotte saw, hear what Charlotte was saying, hear Charlotte's thoughts and access certain parts of her mind, but, to Alanna's distress, she could not take control.
If I ever manage to retake control of my mind, she thought, I am going to have to apologise to Legolas about this idiot.
Right now Charlotte's thoughts consisted mainly of complaints about Alanna but there was a small part of Charlotte's mind that Alanna could not access. With nothing better to do, seeing as she doubted she could escape and resume control of her mind, Alanna swiftly analysed the parts of Charlotte's mind that she could access, determined what was missing and therefore figured out what the blocked part of Charlotte's mind contained.
'At least we have something in common,'Alanna said aloud, wondering if Charlotte could hear her.
Evidently, Charlotte could as she swiftly asked with her thoughts, And what might that be?
'We both fancy Legolas. Although please don't tell him I said that,' Alanna replied.
I do not fancy him! Charlotte said, indignantly. That's you.
'Yes you do and there's no point in denying it,' Alanna said, feeling very foolish as it seemed that she was talking to thin air and also wondering how long it would take Legolas to figure out that all he had to do to get Alanna back was knock Charlotte out.
Alanna wasn't used to being idle. She quickly became bored with watching Legolas pace back and forth and took to trying to resume control of her mind. She checked every nook and cranny but found no way of escape. It seemed that the only way out was for Charlotte to annoy Legolas so much that he knocked her out.
Hurry up, Legolas, she thought, I'm not sure I can stand this much longer.
Somewhere in Mirkwood
Hmmmmm... thought Legolas, as he paced back and forth, If Alanna has MPD, then there must be something that occurs to trigger the change. But what is it...
While Legolas was thinking, Charlotte was inspecting Alanna's choice of weapons.
'I must admit, Alanna really is very good with a sword but it simply isn't proper for a lady to carry one,' Charlotte said (she was yet to realise that Legolas wasn't listening). 'Moreover, while it isn't proper for a lady to carry a sword, it is even less proper for a lady to know how to use one.'
'That's it!' exclaimed Legolas, interrupting her analysis.
'What's it?'
'All I have to do is knock you out and Alanna will be back!'
'Oh but you wouldn't,' Charlotte said, in a tone of such sickening sweetness that it would have made Alanna throw up. 'You are far to chivalrous to do that.'
'Oh am I?' Legolas asked.
'Yes. You are.'
'I wouldn't be so sure of that,' Legolas said, and knocked her on the side of the head with the hilt of his sword.
Inside Alanna's head, moments before Legolas knocks Charlotte out
'Finally!' Alanna cried, leaping to her feet from where she had been sitting on her virtual bed.
Finally what? came the questioning thought from Charlotte.
'Finally he works out what he has to do to release me.'
He may have figured it out but he won't do it, he's far to chivalrous.
'Are you sure?' asked Alanna, watching Legolas pick up his sword.
No, came Charlotte's surprised reply as Legolas's sword hilt collided with the side of her head.
In theory, Alanna thought, hopefully, this should only hurt Charlotte and not me as technically I am just a figment of my imagination right now.
She was wrong.
King Thranduil's palace, Mirkwood, now
Alanna regained consciousness and found herself lying on her bed in King Thranduil's palace. The door opened and she sat up reaching for her sword but it was only Legolas bearing a tray of tea and toast. Legolas set the tray down on Alanna's bedside table, sat down on the end of her bed and took a deep breath.
'Allie, we need to talk,' he said, using her nickname.
'I know, I know,' she replied. 'I'm crazier than an orc in the light of the sun. And I do apologise for that idiot and all the nonsense she was spouting. I have no idea where that came from.'
'Not quite the words I was going to use but the essence of the matter is there.'
The pair were silent for a moment before Legolas thought of something.
He lowered his voice unnecessarily, because Alanna had gone to great lengths to make her door eavesdropper-proof, and whispered,
'Has it affected your rethos form?'
Alanna shrugged her shoulders. 'I can ask her, if you'd like?'
Legolas gaped at her. 'Can you do that?'
She smirked, before drawing her legs up into the meditation position and closing her eyes. 'I guess we'll find out, won't we?'
She drew deeper and deeper into her mind, not actively searching, just looking around. As she moved deeper into her mind, she found something she had never seen in her own mind before. She drew closer, and beheld a small, pink-painted door, with a little sign on it that said 'Charlotte's Room'.
It had to be pink, didn't it, Alanna thought before she opened the door and went inside.
It looked like the room she had been trapped in earlier, but now there was someone else sitting on the bed, humming to herself. Alanna realised that she now had a physical form, something that she usually didn't have, not while wandering her own mind, anyway. She walked into the room and addressed the stranger, who had her back to her.
'Charlotte?'
The girl turned around and stood up. Alanna discovered that Charlotte's appearance was completely different. She was blonde haired and fair skinned. She had cherry lips and was about half an inch shorter than Alanna. In fact, the only physical feature the two girls had in common was their sapphire blue eyes.
'That's me,' Charlotte answered. 'Wait, how did you get in here? You've never been able to get in here before.'
Alanna sat down on the bed.
'I actually looked,' she replied. 'Do you have a rethos form?'
'Rethos,' Charlotte mused. 'I've heard of that.'
'You know, how I can become a wolf at will?'
'Oh yes. That's it.'
Both girls were silent for considerable time, each waiting for the other to continue.
'And?' Alanna finally said.
'And what?'
'And what, pray tell, is your rethos form?' Alanna said through gritted teeth.
'This,' said Charlotte smugly.
She closed her eyes, focused, and within a heartbeat a small tortoiseshell cat sat preening itself on the bed.
About this time, Legolas, who had been pacing Alanna's bedroom nervously, turned around and almost screamed at the sight of a small tortoiseshell cat curled up where Alanna had been seconds before. He covered his mouth guiltily.
I am so glad Alanna didn't see that, Legolas thought. She'd never let me forget it.
Inside Alanna's head
Alanna smiled and stroked the cat, who purred lazily for a while, then stretched and Alanna walked away and watched the cat turn into Charlotte again.
'You're very pretty.' Alanna told Charlotte.
'I know.' She practically preened. 'But I'm a lot more useful than just a pretty face. Look!'
She changed back into a cat, focused on a darkened corner, and ran straight at it. Just when Alanna thought she would run straight into the wall, the shadows rippled like a mirror, and the cat passed right through. After a few seconds the cat bounded out of a different shadow and changed back into Charlotte.
For once Alanna was speechless. Finally she found her voice. 'How did you DO that?'
'Oh, I'm a shadow cat. Means I can run through shadows to get to any destination I've been to or at least seen images of. It works outside as well. Cool, huh?' Charlotte was definitely preening now.
'Would it work for me, too, do you think, because we share the same body?' Alanna asked hopefully.
Charlotte shrugged. 'Give it a try.'
Alanna opened the door and looked out into her mind. Her own form, a shadowy grey wolf, was there prowling at the edges of her mind but there was no sign of a cat. At least, until a black, brown and white streak shot past her virtual head and shot under the bed. Alanna and Charlotte peered into the gloom underneath it. A pair of green eyes blinked back at them.
'I'd say it does work for you,' Charlotte said, dragging the cat out.
It curled up on the end of the bed and started to our when Charlotte scratched its ears.
Alanna focused on the cat, and soon the world grew and she was now a shadow cat. She spent some time exploring the Shadow-travel Ability until she suddenly remembered Legolas, waiting patiently, or rather, not-so patiently for her to return.
She said her goodbyes to Charlotte and walked through the door, finding herself once more in her drifting mind. She pulled out of her trance slowly, and opened her eyes to see Legolas staring worriedly down at her.
'Allie! Thank goodness! I've been waiting nearly an hour. You were a cat for ages, then you changed back then you woke up. Is Charlotte's form a cat?'
Alanna nodded, suddenly exhausted. She lay down and looked at Legolas.
'What are we going to do about my Father?'
'Lord Elrond is going to kill me. How am I ever going to tell him?'
'The question is, are you going to tell him?'
'Oh don't be silly. Of course I am.'
'If I promise to be incredibly careful in future and allow you to be overprotective, as you so often try to be, would you promise not to tell him? I mean, if he knew, it'd be straight back to Rivendell with me and no leaving Rivendell for the rest of my life.'
'Hmmmmm... It would mean no more adventures for either of us. Are you prepared for that?'
'It doesn't necessarily mean no more adventures. It just means that we'd have to be extra careful.'
Legolas thought about it while Alanna helped herself to the tea and toast.
'Deal,' said Legolas finally, extending a hand.
'Deal,' agreed Alanna.
They shook hands and upheld their respective ends of the bargain for thirty-eight years, by which time the matter had shifted to the back of both of their minds. But the back of Alanna's mind wasn't quite the safe place it used to be...
A Note From Angela and Opal:
Opal: Okay. I am new to the FanFiction writing thing unlike Angela so I'd really like to know what you all think of this. Angela wrote the first half-ish of this prologue and that was enough to get me started on the entire rest of the story. Kudos to Angela for coming up with the idea for the shadow-cat and the whole rethos idea. She also came up with the name for it so big thanks to Angela. Please review and tell us what you think.
Angela: Opal and I can promise to post this semi-regularly and I can promise you all that this will NOT be abandoned.
Opal: It would be kinda hard to abandon a story you've already written most of.
Angela: Shhh!
Opal: So, again, please review as we appreciate all feedback.