A/N: Well, here we are again! Continuing the series with book 2, "Innocence & Instinct." This book's going to be special (and not just because we actually get into LOTR material this time lmao). The title "Innocence & Instinct," is the name of an album by my very favorite band, RED. So, in light of that, I've decided to do something fun. I'm going to make every chapter title the name of a song that's in my iTunes library...just for kicks ;) So in addition to a silly old fanfic, you guys get to know what my taste in music is, too, haha. I'll note the artist at the beginning of each chapter. Maybe you guys will recognize some of them? Let me know if you do!
Oh! And if you haven't read the first book in this series, "A Strange Twist of Fate," go do that right now! Otherwise you'll probably be somewhat confused, haha.
But for now...let's get this second book rolling. Enjoy!
Chapter title: "Regime Change" by Disciple.
The Changing Destinies Series: Book Two
Innocence & Instinct
-Kathryn-
Meduseld was dead silent.
The words I'd spoken just seconds ago hung in the air, sounding foreign even to me. I know this girl. And I did. I'd known her for years back on Earth, and now she was here, in Rohan, in Middle-Earth, with me.
The girl knelt on the floor of the Great Hall stared openly, like she was looking at some great legend of the past instead of her best friend. "Kathryn?" My name came out as little more than a whisper, and I didn't blame her. From her perspective, it might as well have been a miracle to see me standing there. I stared back for a moment, wanting to jump forward and hug her. For so long...so, so long, I'd waited for this moment. She was here, and she was alive, just as I'd seen in the Mirror years ago. I could hardly believe it.
But our happy reunion wouldn't come just yet, I knew. First I had to get her out of whatever trouble she was in with the king. I stepped forward to stand protectively by her side, facing Théoden, Wormtongue, and all of Edoras' councilmen as they looked down on us. "My king," I said calmly, "I promise this girl won't hurt you. You don't need to interrogate her or punish her for showing up to Edoras unannounced."
The councilmen, unfortunately, didn't seem too convinced on that alone. "How? What connection do you have to this woman?" one spoke. His eyes were cold and his tone harsh. "Who is she?"
I glanced down at her, praying she understood the look I was giving her and would play along. Obviously, I wasn't about to tell them the truth; that she was from another world, just like me. We had to be smart with this. "Her name is Kaia," I announced. "She used to live in Laketown with me before I came here, and she's one of my closest friends." My mind raced as I tried to fabricate a convincing backstory, looking back to the others. "Her parents were...from the far East," I went on. "She didn't have much family in Laketown, and she knew I'd decided to move down here." I turned back to Kaia, who looked absolutely lost, but at least wasn't being too obvious about it. "You didn't tell me you were coming to visit."
"Yeah..." Kaia slowly stood up, eyes on me. "I...It was supposed to be a surprise."
I almost laughed at her weak excuse, but kept a straight face. We had to get the others to buy this act. "Well, that went to shit." Kaia cracked a smile at the joke.
The moment was ruined, however, when an all too familiar, snide little voice came from ahead. "And what are we to make of this woman's display at the gates of Edoras? By my account, she seemed quite distressed upon her arrival - as if she had no knowledge of where she was." I froze as Wormtongue made direct eye contact with me. What? Oh my God...does he know? No, he can't. That's bad news. The slimy man seemed to smirk as he turned to one of the guards standing nearby. "What was it, Lord Háma, that she said to you?"
Háma was hesitant to answer, but he watched Kaia with an irritated sneer as he did so. "She said I was a 'dick,' my lord." I closed my eyes in exasperation. Oh my God. "And that I was not supposed to be real." Oh my GOD, Kaia.
I shot her an incredulous look. "Really?" I hissed through clenched teeth.
"Are you at all surprised?" she whispered back.
"No," I admitted, rolling my eyes.
Kaia gave a nonchalant shrug before turning to address Háma. "I called you a dick because you were being a dick," she retorted. "You and the rest of the guards dragged me up here and threw me in the dungeons for literally no reason."
"Then how do you explain the second comment?" another councilman asked. "Of Lord Háma being unreal?"
"I was..." She stopped, and for a moment, I thought I'd have to jump in and save her, but then Kaia kept going with a sigh. "Look, I've had a long day, alright? If you must know, I was attacked on the way here. Orcs - dozens of them. They took everything I had. I nearly escaped with my life." Her dark eyes bored deeply into the man's. "I've been without food or water for a couple days. Sorry if I'm not in a decent mood."
The room was quiet and tense for a few more seconds, and I jumped back into the conversation. "King Théoden," I tried again, "please, don't punish her. Kaia hasn't done anything wrong. Let me take her back to my room - I can take care of her from here."
There were murmurs of disagreement amongst the other men, and I swallowed nervously. What if they didn't let her off the hook? Then what would I do? Wormtongue straightened up again, taking a few steps forward so he was at the base of the stairs below the throne. "How do we know we can trust the word of a servant girl?" I glared at him. "For all we know, you could be conspiring against the crown together." Fear blossomed in my heart as a twinkle of grim satisfaction flashed across his eyes. He knows. Holy shit, he knows.
But then, just as I thought I was going to have to take more drastic measures, a quiet, yet firm voice sounded behind him. "Gríma..." All eyes turned towards Théoden as he slowly drew himself up in his seat. "Stand down. We have no need to fear this woman. She is unarmed."
Wormtongue turned around, and I could hear the desperation in his tone. "But my lord, we cannot know-"
"Lady Kathryn...you are dismissed." Relief washed over me, and I struggled to keep myself from beaming. "Take your friend and go in peace."
I nodded, bowing slightly, and Kaia hurried to do the same. "Thank you, my lord." Without another word, I turned and grabbed my friend by the arm, dragging her along as I quickly made my escape from the hall. "Come with me," I said lowly as I started leading her back to my room. "We're getting out of here." Kaia said nothing at first, and my heart raced nearly as fast as my mind as we wove through the corridors. Already, I was forming a plan of action - I had to. If Wormtongue had figured out Kaia's true origins already, we had to be fast.
We were both quiet until we'd reached my room, and I pushed Kaia inside before checking to make sure nobody had followed us. Only when I'd stepped in and shut the door did she speak. "Oh my God...what the fuck is going on?" I turned to face her, finally letting a grin split my face as I hugged her hard. "Kathryn, you...you're here!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Why? How long, I mean..." We let each other go, and again Kaia looked me over, still trying to wrap her mind around everything. "We're in Rohan?"
I nodded. "God, Kaia... You have no idea how happy I am to see you."
"Uh, same?" She laughed, smiling a bit as well. "I honestly thought I was on acid for a good three hours. I didn't know what the hell was happening." Then she paused. "But I still don't, really. Why am I in Edoras? Why are you in Edoras? Why is Edoras even a real place right now?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "I've been here for awhile, and I still don't have any answers.
Something clicked in her brain all of a sudden, and she looked at me in shock. "Wait...how long have you been here?"
"I've been in Edoras for two years," I answered. "But overall, I've been in Middle-Earth for almost five."
Kaia's jaw went slack. "Five years...oh my God. You've been here all this time?! Kathryn...holy shit, this is insane. You've been missing on Earth for almost five years."
My eyes widened a bit. I'd wondered how my being here had affected things back home, but I'd always tried not to dwell on it too much. "Seriously?"
Kaia nodded. "Your parents filed a report. Police were looking for ages...I think they still are. But no one could ever find any evidence, or any kind of clue, you know? We had no idea where you'd gone, and I never would've thought..." She trailed off, shaking her head and putting a hand over he mouth briefly. "This doesn't make any sense."
"I know," I said. "Erin and I haven't been able to figure it out either."
Her gaze snapped back to me instantly. "Wait, what? Erin's here, too?"
I nearly smacked myself in the head. "Oh, yeah! God, I should've told you that first. Yeah, Erin's here. She showed up a little bit before I did." I remembered the similar chaos that had happened on Earth back when Erin had first gone missing.
"What the fuck?" Kaia shrieked quietly. "Where at?" Erin, Kaia and I had all been super close all through high school, and Erin and Kaia's friendship even went back a couple years further than that.
I paused. "I...she's up north somewhere." For some reason, I didn't want to tell Kaia I hadn't heard from her in years. Now probably wasn't the best time to break the news. "With the elves, I think."
Kaia tiled her head the smallest bit in confusion. "She's not with you?"
I shook my head. "I was living with the elves for awhile when I first got here, but eventually I moved down here to Rohan. It was weird," I explained, remembering what I'd seen. "I looked into Galadriel's Mirror, and I saw you! I saw you arriving here in Edoras, so I figured I'd come down here and wait for you to show up."
Kaia drew back. "What? You packed up everything and left for me? Dude!"
I shrugged it off. "It's no big deal. I was getting tired of elves anyway." Big understatement, but whatever. Now wasn't the time for details. We had bigger issues to deal with. "It doesn't matter, though. We need to leave." I stepped past my friend, grabbing the nearest bag I had on hand and started shoving things into it. I'd need a lot for the road.
"Woah," Kaia moved with me, totally lost again. "What are you talking about? I just got here!"
"I know," I said. "But it's not safe." I paused in my rushed packing, giving her a serious look and lowering my voice. "At some point, Wormtongue found out who I really was. He knows that I'm from another world, and he knows that I know what's going to happen when Lord of the Rings type stuff starts happening, which is soon."
"Seriously?" Kaia frowned. "How soon?"
"In like, a couple months. I'm pretty sure the Council of Elrond and all that stuff happens in the fall, and it's already July right now."
"Fuck," she mumbled, racing to process everything. "But I don't get it - why is that a threat to me?"
"Because he saw how well I knew you," I replied. "Wormtongue knows that my whole life here is basically a lie. When you showed up as my best friend, he put two and two together and figured out you're probably from Earth as well. Plus, you certainly didn't help with that when you started yelling at the guard guys that they weren't supposed to be real."
She winced. "True. I was freaked out, though."
"It's fine, so was I at first," I assured her. I went back to gathering up my stuff. "But once Wormtongue found out what I knew, he tried to attack me and get information from me. Him knowing that there's one girl from Earth in Edoras is bad enough, but now that there's two of us, it makes things worse."
"But where are we going to go?"
"You should go to Lothlórien," I said. "Galadriel knows about me, so you'll be safe there."
Kaia stopped me with a hand on my arm. "...And what about you?"
I exhaled, looking up at her. "...I'm going to to north," I said, "to find Erin. She'd want to know about you." She deserved to know, even though the last thing I wanted to do right now was go chase her down.
Kaia nodded in understanding. "Where will you look?"
"Rivendell," I said. "If the Council of Elrond's going to happen soon, I'd bet good money Erin would be up there waiting for it." I paused, thinking a bit more. "I'm friends with Éomer; I'll talk to him and see if he'd be able to take you up to Lórien since you don't know your way around yet. Once I find Erin and tell her what's going on, I'll come back and meet up with you there."
"Okay, okay," she said. "When do you want to leave?"
I shrugged. "As soon as possible. Tonight. Tomorrow morning. The sooner we can get out of here, the better."
"Sure," Kaia agreed. "Not like I have stuff to pack, anyway."
I smiled, shoving a few more necessities in my bag before starting towards the door. "Right. You wait here, I'm going to go find Éomer."
–
And just like that, my whole world had been scrambled. By a stroke of luck, Éomer was able to take Kaia to Lothlórien like I'd hoped. He made up the excuse of going out to do some more Orc scouting to cover his sudden absence, but told no one Kaia and I were leaving, too. It had to be done secretly. We got all the details worked out in record time, and by the time the sun started to dip low in the sky, Kaia and I were ready to go. We weren't even going to wait for the night to pass - all I cared about was leaving the first chance we got.
But I hated it. As I dragged my stuff out to the stables where my horse waited for me, I felt bitter. I didn't want to leave Edoras, but I knew I was obligated to go. I wasn't about to send Kaia out into Middle-Earth by herself. I knew what that felt like. She didn't deserve to go through the same thing, even though I knew she'd probably handle it better than I did. What I really didn't want to do, though, was go to Rivendell to find Erin. In fact, I questioned whether or not I should just forget it and head straight to Lothlórien with Kaia. In the end, though...Erin deserved to know. Kaia was Erin's best friend as much as she was mine, and even though I was still pretty ticked at Erin, it would be really low to keep Kaia's arrival hidden from her. Besides, I thought as I checked over my saddle, maybe this'll give me good closure. If Erin's alive, then she'll be there, and I can chew her out for her bullshit. If she's not, then I know she's dead. Case closed. I tightened a few of the straps here and there, ensuring everything was in place. Kaia and Éomer had left about an hour ago, and I'd already said my goodbyes to them. Éowyn had passed me on my way out as well, and I'd given her one last hug, too. Now all that was left was...leaving.
Just as I prepared to climb aboard, though, I heard a familiar shout. "Kathryn!"
I froze. Theodred. In all honesty, I'd hoped he wouldn't find me. I didn't trust myself to say goodbye to him, so I'd tried to avoid the prince, shitty as it was. But there he was, running into my stall, dark blond hair wild as he slowed to meet me. "Hey," I said weakly, managing a small smile. Even now, I felt my chest tighten.
The man took a moment to catch his breath, confusion and sadness written all over his face. "...Éowyn tells me you are leaving." His gaze drifted to my packed bags draped over the saddle. "Apparently she's right."
I took a deep breath, hardly able to look at him. This was too much. "Yeah...I-"
"And you thought to leave me without saying goodbye?" He tried to make it a joke, but I could sense the underlying hurt in his tone. I didn't say anything at first, prompting him to step closer so he was almost wedging himself between me and the horse. "Kathryn..." Now he was serious. I raised my head, and wished I didn't. His brown eyes screamed at me, begging me to stay. "Why?"
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I...I have to go find my friend. I'm going to Rivendell." He's going to die. I know he will. I've spent all this time in Edoras, and I still can't even bring myself to say it to his face.
Theodred nodded, and I almost wished he wouldn't be so nice and accepting about it. "That is a long journey."
I stared at him for a moment longer as we stood there in silence, then finally caved and launched myself at him, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry, Theodred," I said again as he returned to embrace.
"There is nothing to be sorry for, Kathryn," he replied, letting me go. Then he stopped, looking at me expectantly. "Of course, you'll return...right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be back. I just...I don't know when." Honestly, who knew? I wasn't going to stay in Lothlórien with Kaia forever, but it would take me at least four months to even get there, on top of my journey to Rivendell. "It could be awhile," I added in a whisper.
He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, smiling a bit. "As long as you return someday. I've grown quite used to your antics, you know."
I flashed a tiny smile back at him, but it quickly disappeared as I glanced at my feet again. "...Theodred...promise me something," I whispered. I felt my voice tremble slightly. "Promise me you'll be here when I come back."
He almost seemed to laugh at that, not understanding my fear. "Of course I'll be here, Kathryn."
"And promise me you'll be safe." I looked back up at him now. I had no idea when he died in relation to the rest of the Lord of the Rings plotline, I only knew it would happen soon. This could be the last time I ever saw him. "I can't - I just don't want you to get hurt..." God, just tell him. Tell him what happens! But I couldn't. The words wouldn't come. "...Just be here," I said again. "Promise me you'll be here. Alive and well."
"You have my word," he said seriously. I knew he could tell I was upset about something. If only he knew what it was. Theodred stepped back, allowing me room to mount my horse, and I did so, swinging up into the saddle easily. As I got settled and made sure my cloak was securely fastened, he spoke again. "I wish you the best of luck, Kathryn." Another smile appeared. "Edoras will not be the same without you."
I couldn't smile back. It felt wrong. "Goodbye, Theodred," I said, tightening my grip on the reins. "Remember that promise."
His smile only grew. "I'll always be here, Kathryn."
I looked at him for a few more agonizing seconds before offering one final nod to him. And then, in a matter of mere seconds, I gave my horse a kick, jolting her forward as we sped off. There's nothing for it now. Either he'll be dead or alive when I get back. It's out of my hands. I didn't look back as I left the stables, my cloak fanning out and snapping behind me as I pushed my horse into a faster gallop. I didn't dare slow down now. I rocketed out of Edoras as fast as I could, the town passing by me in a blur of brown until I was out into the open field. I forced all thoughts of Theodred out of my mind, focusing on the journey ahead and squaring my gaze on the horizon as I sped off into the cool night.
–
-Erin-
I stopped to wipe the sweat off of my face, my calves burning from the hike up the steep hill I'd been climbing for the past half hour or so. My breath came in heavy pants, and I was about ready to give up then and there. Even after five years running around Middle-Earth, I still wasn't used to such an intense hike. "You said this was a small hill!" I called out.
From somewhere up ahead, I heard laughter, and I raised my gaze to see a familiar blonde head of hair stop moving to turn back and look at me. "It is. I expected by this point you would have the stamina for it."
I groaned. "How much further?" But the elf didn't respond, only laughing to himself again as he pressed on. I growled in frustration, forcing myself to keep going. "Legolas, I'm going to kill you!"
Despite my complaining, though, I'll admit, I was happy to be at the end of our journey. Legolas and I had been working our way north for a couple months now, and finally, as October began to dwindle, we'd reached our destination. The majority of the trip after our run-in with Glorfindel had been pretty uneventful. We'd made good time following along the river Bruinen, and had come within sight of Rivendell earlier in the morning. I still had my reservations about returning to the Hidden Valley, of course, as did Legolas. It had been four years since I'd last visited there, and I wasn't entirely sure how well received I'd be this time. And even still, my worries paled in comparison to Legolas'. Today would mark the first time in over half a century that he'd stepped out of hiding and officially introduced himself as the Prince of the Woodland Realm. It was bound to be a weird day for both of us, for sure. That much was certain. But there was no turning back now. Not when we'd come this far.
After what seemed like forever, I finally arrived at the peak of the hill overlooking the valley. I stepped up beside Legolas, both of us taking in the sight, and I couldn't help but smile. "Seems like nothing's changed." It was the same Rivendell I'd always known: a sanctuary of the west. The entire valley seemed to glow with warmth and happiness. Buildings of all types wove in and out of the trees, which were slender and abundant, their leaves ruffling in the wind in a bright and splendid display of autumn color. Many glistening waterfalls spilled down out of the mountains surrounding the place, and the sunlight at the height of the afternoon hit everything absolutely perfectly. Even from here, I could see activity throughout the place as people milled about, and excitement buzzed through me momentarily as I remembered what we were here for. The Council of Elrond would be happening any day now, if my timing was right. Things were about to get crazy.
I looked over at Legolas, who still stared down into the valley with a somewhat grim expression. "Hey," I said softly, nudging him in the arm. His gaze flicked up to meet mine, with those brilliant blue eyes I could get lost in forever. "We made it. Be proud of that."
He glanced back to Rivendell, still carrying a sense of unease with him. "It feels strange still," he commented. "As if I am walking in a dream."
"Yeah, I feel you there. But we've got to get down there. Are you ready?" I waited, but Legolas didn't respond immediately. Feeling bolder than normal, I reached over and gave his hand a brief squeeze, startling him (and causing my own heart to skip a beat). "I'm with you in this," I assured him. "You're going to do great, I promise."
He looked at me for a moment before nodding, withdrawing his hand. "Thank you."
I smiled at him, then gave an overdramatic gesture to the path ahead. "Lead the way, Captain." He smiled back, starting off down the other side of the hill, and I dutifully followed, my thoughts lingering on the feeling of his cool hand in mine.
I paused, catching myself as I walked. God, STOP. You're sickening. I shook my head, trying to keep my focus on the path ahead instead of the elf who walked on it. Although I'd hoped my feelings for Legolas would've diminished over the past few months, things had only gotten worse. Too often, I found myself thinking about him and finding excuses to strike up conversation every chance I got. I was giving myself secondhand embarrassment at this point, and it felt like it was only a matter of time before I did something really stupid as a result. Weirdly enough, though, by some continuous stroke of luck, it seemed like Legolas hadn't noticed how I was falling all over myself for him. At least there was one positive in all of this, which I was incredibly thankful for.
As we descended into the valley at a comfortable pace, I was able to make out more clearly the different people walking around. I was surprised when I noticed how many of them weren't actually elves - apparently quite a few men and dwarves from other realms had arrived for the council already. But even with all the unusual visitors, Rivendell still maintained its aura of relaxation and peace. It definitely wasn't my favorite place in Middle-Earth by a long shot, but gorgeous nonetheless. As we finished our descent and approached the archway leading to the Last Homely House, I sobered up, immediately glancing all around to see if my unofficial nemesis was nearby. I hoped not.
Legolas paused just as we reached our entrance, and I saw the tension in his jaw as he looked ahead, likely already hearing and seeing people he hadn't interacted with in ages. I gave him a gentle push forward, and he took a deep breath through his nose before stepping through the archway and officially entering Rivendell. I lingered by his side as we hesitantly stopped just inside the courtyard we'd entered, looking around for any familiar faces. Legolas did the same, and just as I was about to suggest we go a little further in, a familiar voice shattered the tension. "Legolas! Mae govannen, mellon nîn!" [Legolas! Well met, my friend!]
I stepped to the side so I could see past the blond, my nerves easing up when I realized who it was. "Elrohir!" He, at least, was still a friend of mine.
Steely grey eyes widened in surprise as the son of Elrond noticed me. "Erin?" He approached us both with a wide grin. "It has been long since last I saw you!"
I laughed a bit, gesturing downwards. "Well, here I am. In the flesh."
Elrohir then turned to his elven counterpart, however, looking even more excited to see the Mirkwood prince. "And stranger yet is seeing you here, Legolas!" He reached out to embrace the blond, who seemed slightly uncomfortable with the hug, but did it anyway. "How long has it been?" Elrohir wondered as he pulled away. "Half a century?"
"Something like that," Legolas said with a faint smile. He glanced in my direction, and I gave him an encouraging nod.
Elrohir didn't miss the interaction, and his brow lifted in amusement. "I did not know you were acquainted with each other."
"Yeah, that's basically where I've been all these years," I said, jerking my thumb in Legolas' direction. "With this one."
Elrohir chuckled. "I can only imagine what an adventure that must have been. But please, come inside! My father has prepared chambers for all of our guests." He ushered us forward, and Legolas and I let him guide is through the house, dropping us both off at our respective bedrooms we'd use during our stay. I made note of where Legolas' room was in relation to mine, just in case I wanted to bother him later. Once I was in the privacy of my own room, I immediately ripped off my old, smelly traveling clothes and drew myself a hot bath, soaking in it until all the warmth had disappeared. As soon as that was done, I crawled into some dry, soft clothes and stretched out on the massive bed, already well-adjusted to the comforts of Rivendell life once again. It didn't take long for me to doze off, and within minutes I was fast asleep, dreaming of a council soon to come and a blonde elven prince whisking me off my feet.
