Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea. I go to my hermit corner now.
Jack groaned as he opened his eyes. Every part of his body hurt, not helped by the various rocks, roots, and sticks poking him. The last thing he remembered was himself, Tosh, and Owen sitting down for lunch and the Rift alarm going off. Gwen had left for lunch with Rhys, and Ianto was still on suspension. Had the Rift taken them? It was always a possibility; they worked on the epicenter of the Rift. He bolted upright as he thought of the others. He would come back to life, but the others wouldn't be so lucky. His body didn't agree with him, however.
"Take it easy. It's hard on the body if you're not used to it." The voice was slightly different, but still familiar.
"Ianto?" he managed. What was Ianto doing here? He hadn't been in the Hub…
Jack struggled to sit up and felt a strong arm supporting his back. He looked up and froze.
Most of the features were the same, but Ianto's face had become a little more angular, and his skin had a faint glow. His hair, previously cropped short, now fell far past his shoulders and the front strands were tied back in braids. As he leaned forward, his hair parted, revealing tapered ears. Jack stared in shock, barely taking in the strange clothes and weapons they both had. They all had, he amended, looking quickly to Tosh and Owen before returning his gaze to Ianto.
"They're fine," Ianto said, catching his glance. "They aren't exactly used to interdimensional travel. They'll wake soon."
Jack just stared at him. "What…?" He trailed off, unable to ask the question. It would make it final.
Ianto seemed to understand, though. "I am an elf. This is my home." He gestured to the forest. "Well," he amended, "not here specifically. Rivendell is about three days march east, if I estimated correctly. And before you ask, no, I have no idea how or why you are here. My father might shed some light on that. We'll need to set out as soon as we can." Ianto moved away as he spoke, and apart from when Jack had first woken up, he hadn't made eye contact.
Tosh began to stir, and Owen soon followed, a bit more loudly.
"Where the bloody hell are we? What is this place? Oh gods, have we lost civilization completely? How soon can we get back?" Owen continued his rant, while Tosh looked to Jack.
"What happened, Jack? Was it the Rift?" She caught sight of Ianto. "How did you get here?" This caught Owen's attention.
"What the hell is going on, Teaboy? More cyber-skeletons in the closet?" he asked spitefully. Ianto kept his emotionless mask in place, and simply turned to gather the packs propped on the edge of the clearing. He tossed one to each of them.
"As I told Jack, it is a three day trek to Rivendell. I hope we will find answers there. If not, you will be safe and comfortable until you can get back home. There is daylight still. Come," he said briskly, already walking. Owen and Tosh looked to Jack, who shrugged and followed.
"You said 'until you get back home'. What about yourself?" Tosh asked suddenly. Ianto tossed an amused glance over his shoulder.
"This is my home, Toshiko. This is where I shall stay." Tosh gaped.
"So you're an alien, then?" Owen asked brusquely.
Ianto shook his head, slowing his pace a little. "No. This is another reality. This world is called Middle-Earth in the common tongue, and known as Arda to my people. I believe this world is what Earth would have become if technology had not killed most of her magic. I know you do not believe in it," Ianto added, forestalling their objections, "but that is what it is called here. Our world is shielded from outsiders by the power of the Valar and their servants, and it had been allowed to flourish. Now, enough of history. Save your energy for the journey ahead. We have a long way to go yet." Tosh Jack and Ianto smiled as Owen began a new rant.
They made good time, considering the Torchwood team wasn't used to long hours at the pace Ianto had set. As dusk fell, they reached a clearing, empty except for the three large rock formations at the far end. Jack blinked. They almost looked like living things.
"Mountain trolls," Ianto smirked. "They're petrified, thanks to Mithrandir. We'll rest here for the night." The team dropped their packs and collapsed in relief. Ianto raised an amused eyebrow, but said nothing. He rummaged in his pack for a moment before tossing leaf-wrapped packages to the others.
"Lembas," he said at their confused looks. "Do try not to eat too much." Ianto settled back against one of the trolls. "I'll keep watch if you want to get some rest." Tosh and Owen immediately settled down, but Jack stayed up.
"I don't need much sleep," he explained at Ianto's questioning look. Ianto nodded. Jack hesitated for a second before asking the question that had been nagging at him.
"Will you tell me about yourself? Obviously, there's a lot more we don't know about you than we thought," Jack tried to joke weakly. Apparently, Ianto didn't see it that way, as he leaned forward with a pleading and almost…desperate look on his face.
"Jack, how would I have told you about this? I didn't know if I could trust Torchwood. And after Lisa…" he trailed off. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked back up. "I did want to tell you. But most people don't deal with this well, and Torchwood…"
"I'm not Torchwood One, Ianto," Jack said gently, trying to mask the hurt in his voice. Ianto looked up quickly.
"I know that now. And before you ask, Lisa didn't know. I wasn't sure if she would go to her superiors." Ianto looked at his hands. "Doesn't matter now, does it?" he asked, a wry smile twisting his lips.
"No," Jack agreed. Ianto's eyes shot up in surprise. "Yan, it doesn't matter to me if you're not human, or you're from a different reality. You're still you."
Ianto smiled. "I'm the oldest of my brothers and sisters, you know. Two twin brothers, Elrohir and Elladon; my younger sister, Arwen; and our foster brother, Estel. My father is Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. My mother, Celebrian, has already left for the Undying Lands, but her parents, Galadriel and Celeborn, remain in Lothlorien. There are three main settlements of elves; Rivendell, Lothlorien, and Mirkwood. The Gray Havens lie to the north, but those elves prefer solitude. I am the best swordsmaster in Middle-Earth."
Jack grinned. "Modest, too."
Ianto rolled his eyes. "It is well-known. Elves usually have archery in their blood. They never could figure out why I kept missing the target."
Jack laughed, and Ianto grinned smugly. And the still quiet of the nighttime forest was rent by the shriek of Death.
Tosh and Owen jerked awake as Ianto sprang to his feet.
"Ianto?" Jack asked, voice low.
"Nazgul," he spat angrily.
"What's a Nazgul?" Owen snapped.
"A Ringwraith. Shadows of former men. They seek the Ring."
"The Ring?" Tosh was unconsciously fingering the line of her new bow. Ianto's gaze was darting between the trees, his long fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword.
"The One Ring. I'll explain later," Ianto said distractedly, tensing as footsteps came closer. Ragged cries drifted towards them as strangers burst into the clearing. The three…children? froze, staring at them, but the man only hesitated for a second before continuing.
"He's been stabbed by a Morgal blade," the man said, glancing at the Torchwood team before setting down a fourth child. Ianto knelt next to him and pulled the shirt away from the wound. Owen inhaled sharply and moved to the kid's side.
"He needs Athelas, Estel," Ianto said, looking to the newcomer.
Jack blinked. This man was Ianto's foster brother. Admittedly, he didn't understand the language they were speaking, but he recognized the name. He surreptitiously fiddled with his Vortex Manipulator. While it was mostly burnt out, the translator still worked. He was brought out of his thoughts by the arrival of another elf. By obvious familiarity both Ianto and Estel treated her with, he would guess that this was their sister.
Arwen knelt by the injured child, murmuring in their language. Jack, however, was more preoccupied with what his medic was up to.
"Owen, what is that?" Jack asked sharply. The others glanced at the man who was holding a small phial up to the light.
"All-purpose anti-toxin. I was working with it before we were pulled through. Let's hope it works on this." He carefully poured two drops into the wound. For a moment, nothing happened, but then the black treads began to fade. Owen let out a breath and sat back on his heels.
"It won't last, and I can't use anymore. Also, I can't do anything with those banshees still after us."
"They are not banshees, Owen," Ianto told him, amused.
"Yeah, well, they need to consider where they want to go in life then. Or death. Or whatever it is they exist in," Owen snarked. Arwen and Estel had strapped the kid to the saddle of Arwen's horse and were currently arguing over who got to play tag with the Nazgul. Ianto stared at them.
"Seriously? You're having a domestic now of all times?" There was a pause when Estel and Arwen blushed and avoided everyone's gazes. Ianto rolled his eyes. He'd been doing that a lot since he got back. "You aren't married yet? You've only been betrothed for, what, thirty years? Honestly." He stalked over and reached under the kid's shirt. "Arwen will take Frodo to Rivendell. I will take the Ring and go the long way. It will split the Nazgul and reduce their effectiveness. Estel," Ianto turned to him, a deadly look on his face. "Take care of them."
Estel nodded as Ianto turned and whistled lowly. Several seconds later, a dark gray stallion cantered to a stop before them. Arwen and Ianto mounted, and looked at them once more. What he didn't expect was to feel Jack clambering clumsily onto Rylyan behind him.
"What are you doing, Jack?" he snapped.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm coming with you," Jack huffed.
"No, you are not."
"We don't have time for this," Jack reminded him. "Besides, you may be the best swordsmaster, but can you fight and steer at the same time?" he asked.
Ianto scowled, but said nothing. "Good luck," he called, before spurring Rylyan into the night.