((Yet again, here is another Lord of the Ring fic :) See a pattern appearing from this obsessed child yet? As before, none of the characters here apart from Tanya belong to me. Please read and review!))
Tanya sprawled on the sofa, feet kicked up, resting on the furthest arm. The television was on, but Tanya wasn't paying attention to whatever interior decorating program that was on, she was buried in her book. She had been a good little idle student and had done most of the housework. The floor had been hoovered, the sitting room tidied, the beds made and the dishes done. So she had decided to take a break to read.
She was reading "The fellowship of the ring." And was completely enthralled by it. But as she turned the page, a knocking at the door caught her attention. She sighed, fished around for her bookmark before heading to answer the door. She smoothed down her slightly ruffled hair, checked her teeth in the mirror, before she placed her hand on the handle and pushed it down.
She pasted a smile on her face in welcome, although she felt annoyance at begin disturbed from her book, before opening the door.
The figure standing on the doorstep made her take a literal double-take. At first glance, he seemed familiar, but Tanya thought that he was most likely selling something. Second glance, longer this time, and she had to force her jaw to close when it was dropping in amazement. The man on the doorstep, from his grey robe and hat, white beard and staff, was a dead ringer for how she pictured Gandalf in the books, and how he was portrayed in the film. She glanced over his shoulder, and had to clutch hard at the doorhandle, but whether it was to keep herself upright, or to distract her from laughing was debatable.
For behind him stood one that she could only identify as Frodo.
"Yes?" she asked politely, once she had wrested control of her vocal cords back from the laughter that threatened to overcome them.
"We need your help." The Gandalf figure said, gesturing behind him with his staff.
"Help with what?" Tanya asked, suspicians growing, although something in his tone made her inclined to trust him. She slid her hand into the back pocket of her jeans and grasped the handle of the craft knife she had put there earlier, prior to trimming gaming models.
"I think that you can guess." Gandalf said.
"I could take a couple of guesses." Tanya admitted "But the first is ridiculous and the second is rather less savoury." Tanya continued, carefully sliding the blade out from its casing.
"Can we come in?" Gandalf asked, and Tanya picked up a note od nervousness, or even fear in his voice. She took a quick glance up the street, but saw nothing to be afraid of.
"We?" she asked, stalling for time while she thought.
"There are nine of us, and we need sanctuary from you soon."
"Just a moment." Tanya said, closing the door slightly, but not fully, before dashing through to the kitchen. She yanked several kitchen knives out of the cutlery drawer and quickly shoved them under the cushions where she would sit when they came in. She pulled her mobile from the top shelf of the bookcase, punching in 999 as she did so, and slid it down the side of the sofa, where it would only need one press to call the police. Then she returned to the door.
"Sanctuary from what?" she asked, hoping that her preparations didn't show in her face, and deciding to try and get rid of them.
Gandalf looked up the street and Tanya glanced with him. All she saw was a black car turning the corner at the top of the street, and starting to drive slowly down as if they were looking for a specific house.
"Inside." Gandalf said urgently, shoving Tanya aside as he hurried past her.
"What the hell!?" was the startled comment Tanya uttered at the abrupt entrance before she darted after Gandalf, ignoring the others who were entering. She shoved ahead of Gandalf before grabbing a bread knife from its hiding place. She turned and held it close to the interlopers throat.
"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" she demanded, manners and politeness deserting her.
Gndalf eyed the blade with its jagged edge inches from his throat.
Then Tanya took note of those who had entered behind him, and physically staggered, with the knife dropping out of her suddenly lax hand.
Before her, like apparition from her dream were standing the fellowship of the ring. Her senses reeled as her eyes saw Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gimli, Boromir, Aragorn and Legolas. They could not be real, but they had to be, for they stood here before her. She sank down to her knees on the carpet in shock and disbelief. She slowly shook her head, denying the evidence of her eyes. Then like a rising tide, things clicked into place in her mind, and she rose again. Though it may all have been a dream, she did not deny the evidence before her. Whether it was possible or not, the fellowship stood before her. But what had she to lose by going along with this?
"I'm confused." She said simply, and sat on the sofa. Her admission gained her looks of relief from those of the fellowship who had looked worried at her silence. "Anyone care to explain?"
"The Nazgul persued us. I had to get us quickly away from them. But something appears to have gone wrong." Explained Gandalf.
Tanya nodded, the explanation making some sense to her bemused senses. Her wits returned to her in a rush.
"The Ringwraiths managed to persue you though, right? Then that was them outside in the car. Looks like the colour black runs true. Please, come in, sit down." And that last was directed at the rest of the fellowship who were hovering. She took a deep breath.
"And I apologise for my discourtesy. I was not expecting your appearance."
Frodo nodded. "You probably feel like I did after I found out about the Ring." He commented.
Tanya laughed, the comment putting her more at her ease. "Definately." She agreed.
She rose and began to retrive all the knives that she had concealed and took them back into the kitchen, earning her a startled look from Boromir. She came back, cancelled the 999 call on her phone and put it back on the shelf.
She sat down, and looked at the fellowship. Legolas was peering out of the net curtains, like a nosy neighbour Tanya mused. Aragorn had seated himself in a chair and Gimli was examining the walls. Boromir was looking around the room with curiosity. The hobbits were sitting on the floor, and Gandalf was watching her.
"The Ringwraiths will try to gain entrance here, to retrieve the ring for their master. But they cannot enter unless /you/ invite them to. That it why we chose this house. They will try to gain access in a variety of guises but do not be fooled by them." He told her.
"One comes." Warned Legolas from his position beside the window. A few seconds later, there was a knocking on the door. All hands bar Tanya's flew to sword hilts.
"Do you guys always think with sharp objects?" Tanya asked with exasperation, convenitenly forgetting that fact that that had been her reaction at first as well. She stood up and headed for the passage to answer it.
"Remember." Gandalf told her as she passed him.
She strode to the door and opened it. Standing on the door and opened it. Standing on the step was a man in the uniform of the gas board, holding a clipboard and looking official.
"Hi, I've come to read the meter?" he said. His words were slightly accented, but Tanys couldn't place it.
"That's odd. A man was here yesterday to do it. Do you people at Head Office ever talk to each other? Anyway, I'll need to see your ID."
"Pardon?" the man/wraith seemed nonplussed.
"Your ID. The thing that says that you are who you say you are. You're not getting in here without one, Mum would kill me."
"Oh, erm, ah, I left it at the office." The lie was obvious.
"Well, you'd better go and get it then." Tanya said, but then felt a tugging on her mind. It whispered that she didn't really want to see that man's ID, that his word would be good enough. She slammed the door shut and the whispering stopped.
She grinned at her triumph and went back into the sitting room. "He's gone." She announced.
Legolas looked back out the window and nodded in affirmation.
"Will they try again?" Tanya asked.
"I don't think so." Gandalf told her. "At least, not in the same guise."
Tanya nodded. "Would you like something to eat or drink?" she offered, and the hobbits immediately perked up. Tanya disappeared into the kitchen, deciding that pasta would be the easiest thing to cook for so many. She was putting the water on to boil, when Aragorn joined her.
"Boromir and Gandalf are having a discussian." He told her. Tanya mentally replaced the word 'discussion', with 'argument'.
"What about?" she asked, but not really that bothered about the answer as she was carefully pouring the pasta into the pan.
"Everything really." Aragorn admitted freely. Tanya nodded absently, but then froze as she heard Boromirs voice asking "Whats this?" She realised that she had left her book lying on the floor, where anyone could pick it up. She didn't think that any of the fellowship should read /that/. She dropped the packet of pasta onto the work surface, dashed through to the sitting room, snatched the book from his surprised grasp, and dived back into the kitchen, jamming the book behind the table before she returned to the pasta.
Aragorn was giving her a peculiar look, and Boromir's face, peering round the door, bore a hostile expression.
"Would you care to enlighten us why you felt that necessary Lady?" Boromir asked, still polite, but heat was in his words.
Tanya considered her options in what to say in reply, and drew a blank, Truth seemed the only option. "There are things in that book that would hurt you were you to read them. I removed it from your possession to protect you from what is written there."
"What could hurt a man of Gondor?" he boasted. "Give me the book and I will show you that you worry needlessly for my safety."
"Could you cope if it told you about your own death? Would you be able to bear it if it told you that you would not die a glorious death, but wither away slowly from poison, that ate away at your vitals and your mind, leaving you a useless husk of a man, an embarresment to your family, unable to bear the weight of a sword in your hand?" he was gaping at her now.
"It does not speak of such things though, set your mind at rest about that. But if it had, would you have been able to deal with it?"
Boromir drew in a shaky breath, his arrogance quelled for now. "Your point is well taken lady." And he withdrew.
"That was close." Tanya muttered.
"That was well done Lady." Aragorn told her, and she jumped, having forgotton his presnce, so quiet had be gone.
"It was the only way that I could think of to dissuade him. From what I have heard of him, I guessed as to what would cause him the most pain to consider."
"Does that volume truely carry so much pain?"
"Not all of it. Some of it is triumphant, glorious and happy, but it has its dark moments. And now let us speak no more of it."
A delighted cry from the sitting room also stopped their conversation, and both of them walked through to see what had caused it.
Gandalf had a beaming smile on his face. "We can return." He announced. Tanya smiled, but with difficulty. Though this was strange, she had also enjoyed it.
A hand shook her shoulder and her eyes opened. Her mother stood over her, still wearing her coat and apron from work.
"Good dreams Tanya?" she asked.
Tanya sprawled on the sofa, feet kicked up, resting on the furthest arm. The television was on, but Tanya wasn't paying attention to whatever interior decorating program that was on, she was buried in her book. She had been a good little idle student and had done most of the housework. The floor had been hoovered, the sitting room tidied, the beds made and the dishes done. So she had decided to take a break to read.
She was reading "The fellowship of the ring." And was completely enthralled by it. But as she turned the page, a knocking at the door caught her attention. She sighed, fished around for her bookmark before heading to answer the door. She smoothed down her slightly ruffled hair, checked her teeth in the mirror, before she placed her hand on the handle and pushed it down.
She pasted a smile on her face in welcome, although she felt annoyance at begin disturbed from her book, before opening the door.
The figure standing on the doorstep made her take a literal double-take. At first glance, he seemed familiar, but Tanya thought that he was most likely selling something. Second glance, longer this time, and she had to force her jaw to close when it was dropping in amazement. The man on the doorstep, from his grey robe and hat, white beard and staff, was a dead ringer for how she pictured Gandalf in the books, and how he was portrayed in the film. She glanced over his shoulder, and had to clutch hard at the doorhandle, but whether it was to keep herself upright, or to distract her from laughing was debatable.
For behind him stood one that she could only identify as Frodo.
"Yes?" she asked politely, once she had wrested control of her vocal cords back from the laughter that threatened to overcome them.
"We need your help." The Gandalf figure said, gesturing behind him with his staff.
"Help with what?" Tanya asked, suspicians growing, although something in his tone made her inclined to trust him. She slid her hand into the back pocket of her jeans and grasped the handle of the craft knife she had put there earlier, prior to trimming gaming models.
"I think that you can guess." Gandalf said.
"I could take a couple of guesses." Tanya admitted "But the first is ridiculous and the second is rather less savoury." Tanya continued, carefully sliding the blade out from its casing.
"Can we come in?" Gandalf asked, and Tanya picked up a note od nervousness, or even fear in his voice. She took a quick glance up the street, but saw nothing to be afraid of.
"We?" she asked, stalling for time while she thought.
"There are nine of us, and we need sanctuary from you soon."
"Just a moment." Tanya said, closing the door slightly, but not fully, before dashing through to the kitchen. She yanked several kitchen knives out of the cutlery drawer and quickly shoved them under the cushions where she would sit when they came in. She pulled her mobile from the top shelf of the bookcase, punching in 999 as she did so, and slid it down the side of the sofa, where it would only need one press to call the police. Then she returned to the door.
"Sanctuary from what?" she asked, hoping that her preparations didn't show in her face, and deciding to try and get rid of them.
Gandalf looked up the street and Tanya glanced with him. All she saw was a black car turning the corner at the top of the street, and starting to drive slowly down as if they were looking for a specific house.
"Inside." Gandalf said urgently, shoving Tanya aside as he hurried past her.
"What the hell!?" was the startled comment Tanya uttered at the abrupt entrance before she darted after Gandalf, ignoring the others who were entering. She shoved ahead of Gandalf before grabbing a bread knife from its hiding place. She turned and held it close to the interlopers throat.
"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" she demanded, manners and politeness deserting her.
Gndalf eyed the blade with its jagged edge inches from his throat.
Then Tanya took note of those who had entered behind him, and physically staggered, with the knife dropping out of her suddenly lax hand.
Before her, like apparition from her dream were standing the fellowship of the ring. Her senses reeled as her eyes saw Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gimli, Boromir, Aragorn and Legolas. They could not be real, but they had to be, for they stood here before her. She sank down to her knees on the carpet in shock and disbelief. She slowly shook her head, denying the evidence of her eyes. Then like a rising tide, things clicked into place in her mind, and she rose again. Though it may all have been a dream, she did not deny the evidence before her. Whether it was possible or not, the fellowship stood before her. But what had she to lose by going along with this?
"I'm confused." She said simply, and sat on the sofa. Her admission gained her looks of relief from those of the fellowship who had looked worried at her silence. "Anyone care to explain?"
"The Nazgul persued us. I had to get us quickly away from them. But something appears to have gone wrong." Explained Gandalf.
Tanya nodded, the explanation making some sense to her bemused senses. Her wits returned to her in a rush.
"The Ringwraiths managed to persue you though, right? Then that was them outside in the car. Looks like the colour black runs true. Please, come in, sit down." And that last was directed at the rest of the fellowship who were hovering. She took a deep breath.
"And I apologise for my discourtesy. I was not expecting your appearance."
Frodo nodded. "You probably feel like I did after I found out about the Ring." He commented.
Tanya laughed, the comment putting her more at her ease. "Definately." She agreed.
She rose and began to retrive all the knives that she had concealed and took them back into the kitchen, earning her a startled look from Boromir. She came back, cancelled the 999 call on her phone and put it back on the shelf.
She sat down, and looked at the fellowship. Legolas was peering out of the net curtains, like a nosy neighbour Tanya mused. Aragorn had seated himself in a chair and Gimli was examining the walls. Boromir was looking around the room with curiosity. The hobbits were sitting on the floor, and Gandalf was watching her.
"The Ringwraiths will try to gain entrance here, to retrieve the ring for their master. But they cannot enter unless /you/ invite them to. That it why we chose this house. They will try to gain access in a variety of guises but do not be fooled by them." He told her.
"One comes." Warned Legolas from his position beside the window. A few seconds later, there was a knocking on the door. All hands bar Tanya's flew to sword hilts.
"Do you guys always think with sharp objects?" Tanya asked with exasperation, convenitenly forgetting that fact that that had been her reaction at first as well. She stood up and headed for the passage to answer it.
"Remember." Gandalf told her as she passed him.
She strode to the door and opened it. Standing on the door and opened it. Standing on the step was a man in the uniform of the gas board, holding a clipboard and looking official.
"Hi, I've come to read the meter?" he said. His words were slightly accented, but Tanys couldn't place it.
"That's odd. A man was here yesterday to do it. Do you people at Head Office ever talk to each other? Anyway, I'll need to see your ID."
"Pardon?" the man/wraith seemed nonplussed.
"Your ID. The thing that says that you are who you say you are. You're not getting in here without one, Mum would kill me."
"Oh, erm, ah, I left it at the office." The lie was obvious.
"Well, you'd better go and get it then." Tanya said, but then felt a tugging on her mind. It whispered that she didn't really want to see that man's ID, that his word would be good enough. She slammed the door shut and the whispering stopped.
She grinned at her triumph and went back into the sitting room. "He's gone." She announced.
Legolas looked back out the window and nodded in affirmation.
"Will they try again?" Tanya asked.
"I don't think so." Gandalf told her. "At least, not in the same guise."
Tanya nodded. "Would you like something to eat or drink?" she offered, and the hobbits immediately perked up. Tanya disappeared into the kitchen, deciding that pasta would be the easiest thing to cook for so many. She was putting the water on to boil, when Aragorn joined her.
"Boromir and Gandalf are having a discussian." He told her. Tanya mentally replaced the word 'discussion', with 'argument'.
"What about?" she asked, but not really that bothered about the answer as she was carefully pouring the pasta into the pan.
"Everything really." Aragorn admitted freely. Tanya nodded absently, but then froze as she heard Boromirs voice asking "Whats this?" She realised that she had left her book lying on the floor, where anyone could pick it up. She didn't think that any of the fellowship should read /that/. She dropped the packet of pasta onto the work surface, dashed through to the sitting room, snatched the book from his surprised grasp, and dived back into the kitchen, jamming the book behind the table before she returned to the pasta.
Aragorn was giving her a peculiar look, and Boromir's face, peering round the door, bore a hostile expression.
"Would you care to enlighten us why you felt that necessary Lady?" Boromir asked, still polite, but heat was in his words.
Tanya considered her options in what to say in reply, and drew a blank, Truth seemed the only option. "There are things in that book that would hurt you were you to read them. I removed it from your possession to protect you from what is written there."
"What could hurt a man of Gondor?" he boasted. "Give me the book and I will show you that you worry needlessly for my safety."
"Could you cope if it told you about your own death? Would you be able to bear it if it told you that you would not die a glorious death, but wither away slowly from poison, that ate away at your vitals and your mind, leaving you a useless husk of a man, an embarresment to your family, unable to bear the weight of a sword in your hand?" he was gaping at her now.
"It does not speak of such things though, set your mind at rest about that. But if it had, would you have been able to deal with it?"
Boromir drew in a shaky breath, his arrogance quelled for now. "Your point is well taken lady." And he withdrew.
"That was close." Tanya muttered.
"That was well done Lady." Aragorn told her, and she jumped, having forgotton his presnce, so quiet had be gone.
"It was the only way that I could think of to dissuade him. From what I have heard of him, I guessed as to what would cause him the most pain to consider."
"Does that volume truely carry so much pain?"
"Not all of it. Some of it is triumphant, glorious and happy, but it has its dark moments. And now let us speak no more of it."
A delighted cry from the sitting room also stopped their conversation, and both of them walked through to see what had caused it.
Gandalf had a beaming smile on his face. "We can return." He announced. Tanya smiled, but with difficulty. Though this was strange, she had also enjoyed it.
A hand shook her shoulder and her eyes opened. Her mother stood over her, still wearing her coat and apron from work.
"Good dreams Tanya?" she asked.