Elrond watched, bemused, as Katie sprang up from her chair and ran over, giving her grandmother a huge hug. "Grandma! What are you doing here?" Her expression told that she immediately realized what a very stupid question that was.
"Katie!" her grandmother exclaimed, hugging her back. Her eyes shone with excitement. "This isn't… is it?"
Katie grinned. "Grandma, welcome to Middle-earth."
Her grandmother laughed in glee, then looked over at the table. Elrond and the others had all risen to their feet, and the ones that were on the opposite side of the table from their new guest came forward and gathered around her.
"Everyone, this is my grandmother, Vivian Lewis," Katie said, beginning the introductions. "Gram, you already know Elladan, Elrohir and Estel." They smiled and greeted her warmly, glad to see her again. "This is Elrond, Lord of Rivendell," she continued.
Elrond reached out and took Vivian's hands. "I am very pleased to finally meet you," he said warmly. "My sons have told me about you and the assistance you rendered them."
"And the assistance they rendered me," Vivian said gently, "for which I am forever grateful."
Elrond smiled. This woman had a grace and self-assurance Katie had not yet mastered. "This is my daughter, Arwen Undómiel. And these are Mithrandir, Glorfindel and Erestor." They all bowed courteously, and Vivian curtseyed back.
"Pleased to meet you," she said formally, a smile lingering on her lips.
They took their places back at the table, and Glorfindel drew a chair up for Vivian.
"So, what do you think of your first experience in inter-dimensional travel?" Katie asked her grandmother when they were all settled.
"Not bad in the least," Vivian answered cheerfully. "I was walking toward the kitchen to start getting supper and… here I was!"
Katie frowned suddenly. "What day was it?"
"October sixteenth; why?"
"Oh, good. That's the day I left from. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same time frame."
Vivian looked surprised. "How long have you been here?" she asked.
"A couple months," Katie divulged.
Elrond observed the two of them, aware that the others were doing the same. Elladan had made some mention to him about Vivian's individuality, and he now understood what his son had meant. Vivian was most certainly human; there was no doubt about that. There was even a marked resemblance between her and Katie. But there was something about her that set her apart, even more than the difference between most men and the Dúnedain. The difference was of an entirely new order, but he didn't know what it was. She was human, and yet she was not.
He pulled his gaze away from the new guest, and he and Mithrandir exchanged an understanding look. The wizard had sensed it as well.
Elrond sent for Lithorniel, and had her arrange a room for the new arrival. It was late, and soon the group split up to go to their own chambers.
Katie led Vivian down the maze of corridors. "Lord Elrond said your room was next to mine," she said.
Vivian was gazing in wonder at everything they passed. "This place is gorgeous!" she finally exclaimed. "And confusing. I bet I'd get lost in it pretty quickly."
"It takes a little time to learn your way around," Katie agreed, "and I'm sure there are plenty of rooms I've never been in yet. But it's not that bad. And here's your room!"
She turned the knob and led her grandmother in. There was a small fire in the hearth and the bed had been all made up for her. Vivian sat down on the sofa with a contented sigh. "So what have you been up to for two months?" she asked her granddaughter, patting the cushion next to her. "And what happened to Elrohir? He looks as if he's been in a fight, and his hair is so short!"
Katie winced. "I'm glad you didn't mention it to of him. He's a bit self-conscious about it."
"It didn't seem the right moment," Vivian said. "Well? What happened to him? And what happened to you? You seem to be recovering from a black eye yourself, and are those stitches in your cheek?"
So Katie explained the adventures of the past few weeks and recounted her part in the goings-on. Vivian reached over and gave her a spontaneous hug when she told about being kidnapped by one of the bandits.
Katie smiled and put her head down on her grandmother's chest, as she used to when she was little. Vivian's garnet cross necklace dug into her cheekbone.
"I'm fine," she said finally, pulling back. "Lord Elrond stitched up my cheek for me, as you can see."
"Yes, you seem to be healing quite quickly," Vivian agreed. "What happened next?"
She was incensed when Katie told about the bandits cutting off Elrohir's hair. "That's terrible!" she exclaimed. "I hope they got their comeuppance!"
"Oh, they did," Katie said emphatically. "But I'll get to that!"
When she came to the end of the story, Vivian sat back and regarded her, bemused. "You have been busy, haven't you?"
Katie laughed. "Yes, I have. When I wasn't being kidnapped by bad guys or drowning slave-traders, I took lessons with Erestor. He's been teaching me about Middle-earth."
"Now that's a class anyone could get into!" Vivian said, impressed. "I hope you pay better attention to him than you do in algebra. Don't try to deny it; I've seen your notebook!"
Katie couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, I pay attention. And sometimes, the lessons come in handy. For instance, I learned about Mithrandir before I ever met him."
"Was that the older gentleman I met?"
"Yep. And Grandma—he's a wizard."
"Really?" she looked as excited as Katie herself had been when she learned that. "Wizards, elf-lords, a magic ring… it's like a fairy tale! I don't suppose you turn out to be a princess and marry the handsome prince, do you?"
Katie grinned mischievously. "I don't think Legolas would have me. No," she said prosaically, "the only human around here is Estel, and—" she almost said, 'and he's taken,' thinking of Arwen, but she stopped herself. "He's not my type," she finished up. "And the elves are too high above me. No, if this is a fairy tale, then I'm gonna end up the first old-maid fairy princess in history."
Vivian laughed, then yawned. "Oh my, it is getting late, isn't it? Look how low the fire's burnt. We should probably say goodnight."
"Goodnight, Gram," Katie said, standing up and bending over to kiss her cheek. Vivian kissed her back. "Sleep tight; don't let the bedbugs bite!"
"That's my line!" her grandmother exclaimed with mock indignation.
000
The next morning, Katie took Vivian on a basic tour of the house. They ended up in the kitchen, where they found Lithorniel chatting to Lossefalme, who was putting some shears in a basket in preparation for doing some flower cutting.
After Katie had introduced her grandmother to the two maids, she turned to Lossefalme. "Can we come along?"
The elleth's expression turned a little doubtful, and Lithorniel laughed. "Lossefalme knows where to find the most vibrant blooms, but she never tells anyone where she gets them from. It is her little secret, passed down from a senior member of staff. She has done this for years, sneaking off somewhere in the valley and returning with her basket full of fantastic flowers."
"Oh," Katie said. "Well, we don't want to spoil your secret! We'll just go see the stables instead."
There were only two people in the stable they chose: Estel and another. Estel greeted Katie and Vivian warmly, then introduced them to the ellon beside him.
"This is Sadron, one of the chief stable hands."
"Pleased to meet you," Vivian said politely, and Sadron bowed with a friendly smile, but didn't reply.
Vivian, like Katie, had never been around horses much, and was excited to get to see them and pat them. Estel gave her a tour of the stable, and Katie pointed out the horse she usually rode in her lessons with the elves.
"My, you have been busy learning!" Vivian exclaimed, then giggled like a schoolgirl as Serondrych snuffled in her ear.
"Here, Madam," Sadron said at her elbow, holding out an apple. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"Why, thank you, Sadron" Vivian said, and held the apple out to Serondrych, who ate it in two large crunches. "And please," she added, "call me Vivian."
Sadron bowed, and slipped away. Katie watched him depart. "Did he just start working here?" she asked Estel when she was sure he was out of earshot (even sharp elven earshot). "I don't think I've ever seen him before."
"Sadron? Goodness, no," Estel exclaimed. "He has worked in these stables for as long as I can remember. But he a very quiet fellow. Perhaps that is why you have never noticed him before."
"Perhaps," Katie echoed, distractedly.
TBC
AN: Well. That chapter was surprisingly hard to write, or else I would've had it out before now. The problem is, I have two storylines moving in this piece, and while I've got one figured out, the other is quite a bit fuzzier. It may take me a little more time in between updates simply because I have to figure out what the heck is going to happen next!
I got an account on fictionpress dot com for original fiction. I'm only posting one piece at the moment, but I hope to expand a bit. If you'd like to look it up, I'm under the same screen name, JennyJoy4.
Laer4572: Vivian and GANDALF? Oh, dear. I never imagined Gandalf as the dating type…
Redone: Geez, you too? ELROND? I think Celebrían would have something to say about that… lol I think that's more immediate response saying "hook Vivian up with someone" than I had about Katie!
Arlindor: Agreed. That'd be a tough decision.
Madd Hatter: "A Mysterious Way", as you see. :) I put the title in the author's notes.
theycallmemary: And elf with a mohawk… You know, I always thought the elves and the American Indians had a lot in common… lol I shall neither confirm nor deny your theory on Katie's love interest. :) But as always, very happy to see people making predictions!
Ravens Destiny: It's very impressive that you could spot the end of the piece from the beginning of the chapter, as I myself didn't even know it was going to be the end when I wrote that bit! Good prediction on Vivian's reappearance. —pictures Elrohir in a top hat— You'll have to send me photos of that costume!
Big thanks also to RenegadeKitsune, crazycatluver, werewolflemming, IwishChan, FallenTruth and Hermione at Heart! I was thrilled to see how many positive reviews I got on that chapter.
Please review while I figure out what the heck is going to happen next!
