Chapter Two ~ Be Careful What You Pray For
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." - Jesus Christ
CPOV
Black. Grey. Dark red. Black. White. Light Blue. Black.
Bewildering colours merged into one another, and an echoing chant could be faintly heard from far away; yet it seemed so close. I was flying, but could not move. I was singing, but could not talk. I was dreaming, but was not asleep. It was night, but also day. It was dark, but also light. Shadows crawled in and out of my vision. Lights flickered on and off at will. I felt like I was falling down an endless abyss. Falling... and falling... and falling... and THUD!
I awoke to gentle music, as if the ocean and the sky themselves were singing a long forgotten lullaby, that had slipped out of even the most ancient memories. At first, I could not see; I was blinded. I lay there, in the unknown, so long that time seemed to stand still. The first thing that came back to me was the sense of smell. The smell of fresh river water and damp forest leaves. Then the sense of touch entered into my body. I felt moist leaves and grass that felt as green as the brightest emerald, and I felt rough twigs that scratched my arms and dug into my back. The savour of chilled, night air flooded into my dry mouth, marking the return of taste. I could then hear silent rustlings, a light breeze, quiet mutterings, and my shallow breathing. Finally, my sapphire eyes fluttered open. Fuzzy blurs slowly turned into the canopy of a dense, lush forest. My head throbbed and I felt like I couldn't talk. Suddenly, my memory came jolting back to me. A car... grandfather... Aidan... Emma... Carefully and weakly, I attempted to sit up. It took a while but I eventually found the strength to manage it. A wave of dizziness washed over me, but I shook my head to get rid of it. My hands crept to my tangled hair and felt crinkled leaves, stray twigs, and sprinklings of dirt. I had no doubt that I was by far in my worst condition. What had happened? Was I... dead? I swallowed and blinked a few times. I didn't feel dead, but nor did I feel fully alive. I let out a rather loud groan of pain as I tried to stand. I couldn't. I ignored the agony and endeavoured over and over again but achieved no victory. Giving up, I slumped to the ground, making a whimper escape my lips. The mutterings that were growing louder, silenced at this as if they were holding their breath. I remained silent and the mutterings soon continued, though quieter than before. Thoughts started to stream through my mind. Were there other people in this forest? If so, who were they? Could they help me? Would they help me? My head lolled to one side and I went over the circumstances in my head, and tried to think of a solution for the mess she was in. In the end, she decided to risk it and call for help. Hopefully those people she heard would come to her aid, if not... She washed away the thought and cleared her voice, ready to shout.
"HELP!" I cried, resulting in a burning sensation to form in the back of my throat and my head to pound uncontrollably. "HELP! PLEASE, HELP!" No-one came. Did they not hear me? I thought I had shouted loud enough. Even though I was starting to feel rather faint, I was determined to try one more time. "PLEASE! SOMEONE! HELP!" My vision became uneven and my eyes rolled without my consent. "Please..." I said hopelessly as black spots appeared in my eyes. Blurred figures suddenly became visible from out of no-where, and were walking toward me. However, my sight darkened before they could reach me.
"Who is she, Strider? Do you know her?" An unfamiliar voice of a male asked.
"No, her face sparks no familiarity within me. And her clothes are unlike any I've ever seen before. Perhaps she is from far down in the South," answered another unknown, male voice who she supposed was 'Strider'. This voice was older though, and more knowledgeable.
"When will she awaken?" Yet another younger voice queried.
"Have patience, Pippin. However, I would say very soon. Her fever has gone down quite a bit, and she has been twitching slightly as well," replied this 'Strider'. I attempted to open my eyes, but they did not budge.
"Well, that's good, because I want to get going as soon as possible. Mr. Frodo will need me," the first voice commented. This left me confused. Going? Going where? And what sort of name was 'Frodo'?
"Frodo is out of our reach now, Sam," Strider said. "We can only hope he made it safely to Rivendell." Rivendell? I thought, where on earth was Rivendell?
"You don't think those Ringwraiths would have caught him, do you? Who knows what they'd do to him, then!" 'Sam' asked desperately. Ringwraith? What was a Ringwraith, for goodness sake? Anyway, whatever they were, they didn't sound pleasant.
"I do not know," Strider answered solemnly. Again, I tried to open eyes, and this time it worked. Bright light greeted me, making me squeeze shut my eyes, before slowly reopening them, and letting them adjust to the surroundings. As the light faded, she found herself, once again, staring up at the lush green canopy. I lifted my heavy head up a bit so I could see my 'companions'. One of them had a tan complexion, shoulder-length dark hair, a stubble beard, and ragged olden-day clothing. The other three were about half his size, wore old clothes, and, to my surprise, had huge hairy feet. Two of them had curly blonde hair, and cheeky grins that were hidden with a worried expression. The last one was a little plumper than the others, had straight blonde hair, and a caring face. One of the short, curly-haired ones spotted I was awake first.
"Hey! Look, she's awake!" The tallest person immediately got up, kneeled next to me, and helped myself get propped up against a tree behind me.
"Are you alright, my lady?" he asked, concerned. At this I had to bite my tongue not to laugh. My lady? Seriously? Were these people dressing up and pretending to be medieval characters; because they were very convincing. "My lady?" he repeated.
"Um, I'm fine, thanks, I think," I mumbled, uncertainly flowing through me.
"Thanks goodness, you have set our hearts at rest. You were out cold for at least a day,"
"A DAY?!" I cried in shock. I'd never even been out for longer than ten minutes before! The man looked a little overwhelmed by my sudden outburst but nodded his head anyway.
"Yes, that is what I said."
"Oh," I felt quite embarrassed now, but tried not to show it. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"
"I am Strider, a ranger of the north. And this is Pippin, Sam, and Merry, who are hobbits." He answered. A ranger of the north? What was that? And what were hobbits?
"Oh, and where am I?" I inquired.
"You are on The East Road, only about two days travel from Rivendell, my lady," replied the man patiently. Well, I knew for a fact there was no place in the world called Rivendell. But then if I wasn't in the world, then where was I?
"Rivendell, you say? Where the heck is that?" I asked getting annoyed. If this was someone's idea of a joke...
"On the border of the Misty Mountains," he answered, without showing any notice of my rudeness.
"The Misty Mountains?" I repeated, clueless. "Where are they? In India or something?"
"I'm afraid I don't know where India is, my lady, but the Misty Mountains spread through many places in Middle-earth."
"Middle-earth? Where's that? On, like, the equator?" I questioned, my mind overflowing with questions and possibilities.
"I am not quite sure of what you mean," he said.
"Oh, um... nevermind." I replied. Could he be telling the truth and I really was in some random foreign world? I mean, I saw no lie in his eyes. Perhaps, he had mental health issues.
"I'm sorry, but we have no time for questions at the moment, we must be on our way to Rivendell. A friend of ours was ill and needed the aid of the elves." Elves?! Elves could flippin' heal people?! They weren't even supposed to exist! Maybe I'm getting delusional...
"Oh, yes, um, of course. Thanks for helping me, you should be on your way," I farewelled, bewildered.
"Do not be foolish, we aren't going to leave you by yourself in the wilderness. You will come with us and stay in Rivendell until you are healed.
"Um, okay?" I said awkwardly.
"You will ride with me on the horse I am riding, Ilio," Strider informed, and I looked at him incredulously.
"We're riding horses to this 'Rivendell'?"
"Yes, well, the hobbits are riding ponies, of course."
"Why not just drive there in a car? It would be so much quicker."
"A car? What is that? Is it a breed of animal, my lady?" asked Strider, looking at me weirdly. Oh my gosh. they didn't know what cars were, that meant they couldn't of been invented! This really was like the medieval centuries.
"Uh, nevermind." I muttered.
"Well, we better start packing up. You can just rest until we are finished," advised Strider as he got up and saddled up the horse and ponies and the 'hobbits' rolled up their blankets. I watched the scene in silence, wondering what was going on in my crazy life. But, somehow, I couldn't help but believe Strider that I was in another universe named Middle-earth. Everything just seemed to fall into place. Minutes later, Strider came back over to me after they'd finished packing up. "Are you feeling well, my lady?" he asked.
"Yes, yes, I'm alright. Just a bit dizzy, is all," I spoke truthfully, but then added. "You don't have to keep calling me 'my lady' by the way, I'm only a everyday woman." Strider looked at me slightly perplexed, but shrugged it off.
"Very well, then what shall I call you?" he questioned. I had quite forgotten that I hadn't told them my name. Should I? I mean, I hardly knew them. But they seemed to be my only means of company so I gave in.
"Um, my name's Chloe Anderson," I muttered, not quite looking him in the eye.
"Chloe Anderson," he mused. "That is a highly unusual name for someone from the east,"
"I'm not from the east," I answered and then whispered. "In truth, I don't know where I'm from." Strider sent me an odd look.
"You must have hit your head rather hard. Never you mind, Lord Elrond shall lend you fine treatment for that," the man commented, more to himself then me. "Well, we better get you onto Ilio. We want to reach Rivendell as soon as possible." Without waiting for an answer, Strider picked me up bridal style and helped me get comfortable on the sleek chestnut horse. Once the three hobbits were also seated and ready to go, Strider mounted Ilio swiftly so he was in front of me, and we went on our way.
It was almost two days of restless, tiresome travelling since I found myself in Middle-earth. And I had never thought I'd done so much exercise in my life. The terrain of the land was not the most Chloe-friendly, especially since I was far from feeling 100 percent. However, over time, I was slowly healing and gradually was starting to accept that I was in some unknown world. The thought was disturbing at first but she eventually, after lots of thinking, had gotten over it. I had also bonded quite quickly with the small hobbits. Merry and Pippin were particular kind to me and had an incredible sense of humour that always cracked a smile onto my face. Sam was a little suspicious of me at first, always watching my every move and asking me interrogating questions; however, once I had saved him from accidentally treading on a poisonous snake, he began to warm up to me. I discovered that Sam had a passion for gardening and, of course, as I soon found out, eating. All the hobbits never seemed to lose track of when it was breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, dessert, supper, and that was without counting the snacks in between. On the other hand, I noticed that Strider hardly touched any food at all, and certainly acted like he was used to the wilderness unlike the hobbits. If truth be told, I wasn't the most pleasant of company with all those nasty insects and wild animals wandering around freely, and not having a congenial place to sleep. What could I say? I was a Girly girl at heart. Nevertheless, despite the intolerable wildlife and unpleasant bedding, I found myself enjoying the stunning blue mountains in the distance that was coated with pure white snow, and the azure ever-flowing streams and rivers, and the elderly, gnarled trees that bent over me like wizened men.
Finally, my breath was whisked away from me when I took my first glimpse of the kingdom of Rivendell.
"Wow," I marvelled, eyes wide open. "If only Emma was here to see this." A then felt a slight pang of sadness that my best friend was far, far away from me. We had always been there for each other, 'only one phone call away', but now there could be centuries between us.
"Who's Emma?" Pippin piped up, while the other two hobbits gazed in wonder at the place before them.
"She is my best friend, although I don't know where she is at the moment," I replied sadly, giving Pippin a small smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Strider send her another queer look, as if he was still worried about her sanity. "Don't worry about it," I muttered to Pippin as Strider lead us through the open, golden gates. The ponies and Ilio were taken to the stables by two cloaked men servants whom Strider nodded to in thanks. The air was fresh and the sun's rays shone proudly over the palace, lending it a warm glow. Autumn leaves danced around gently in the slight breeze as we walked up the stairs, passing two armoured guards. I stared in utter amazement at the careful architecture, and impressive statues and artworks. Our footsteps echoed against the cold, marble floor. Soon, we came to a pair of closed double doors with guards at each side.
"A, im am hi na see hir Elrond," said Strider in a language I had never heard before. It sounded gentle as well as wise and hardy, almost like music to my ears. One of the guards nodded and they opened the doors for us.
"What language was that you spoke in?" I asked, sincerely.
"Sindarin Elvish, it is the language of the elves. Surely you knew that?" he replied, slightly curiously. Obviously people around here were supposed to recognize all the native languages. I didn't want to sound suspicious so I quickly answered.
"Oh, yes. I had just forgotten." I could see the man still wasn't entirely convinced but he just nodded and continued to walk into a huge chamber, us following him. The chamber had a chandelier hanging down in the middle, and at the end of it was a medieval throne in which an unusual man sat in. It was not his long brown, braided hair, almost flawless skin, rich golden robes, or towering figure that was unusual, but his ears. They were pointed. When I saw this, I took a step back in surprise. Strider gave me a light push forward and muttered quietly in my ear.
"What is it?"
"H-He has pointy ears!" I stuttered. Why was he not reacting like me? It's not everyday you see someone with pointy freakin' ears! Yet again, Strider gave me one of his troubled looks.
"We should probably hurry in getting you some treatment from the elves." So, these were elves. That explained the pointy ears, but still...
Strider then bowed before the elf in the throne, and the other four of us followed his lead.
"A, Aragorn réd-o Arathorn. Welcome na Rivendell. Im estel im will put cín mind at post ir im ped- i cín neth perian mellon a nin-iel are ui- safe. Frodo na- resting at i moment," said the tall elf in Sindarin. His voice was deep and wise.
"Thank cin, hir Elrond. Nin mellon hi, Chloe Anderson, mín found hen unconscious in i glad bo i rhûn Road. Im nifred he has lost some -o hen rín. Will cin n- able na help hen?" asked Strider. While they talked, a question came to me. How did Strider know how to speak in Sindarin if he was not an elf? Did that mean I could learn the language too? I hoped that I could, it sounded so much cooler than all the other languages back at home.
"Ah, yes. Im will trui nin best. Im will get some -o nin maids na escort hen na a spare bedroom an hen na get nursed. But an hi, cin a cín friends must post o cín travels." The tall elf then gestured for three young elf women to come over to him. "Take hi adaneth na a haust a rad- clothes an hen, then nall- an i healers." he said to the women. Although I could not understand him, I knew they were talking about me as the women soon came over and escorted me out of the chamber. I was only able to give a short wave to Strider and the hobbit before we rounded a corner and I saw them no more.
The two maid women lead me into the biggest bedroom that I had probably ever seen. However, there wasn't much in it, only a king-sized bed, bedside table, and a crimson love seat.
"I'm sorry it's not the biggest of rooms, but it's the only non-occupied room left," one maid apologized, sitting me down on the bed. It was so soft that I thought I could almost fall through it.
"No, no, it's fine," I said truthfully, then added. "What are your names?" The three maids looked at me as if I had gone bonkers. Perhaps I wasn't supposed to ask that, or maybe they didn't even have names. "Oh, nevermind, you don't need to answer that."
"No, no," the main maid replied. "It's we've never been asked our names before by any guest except the young Aragorn,"
"Young Aragorn?" I repeated.
"Yes. Aragorn is a man that the elves looked after since he was only a child, he happened to take an absurd liking toward me," she answered, smiling a little at the memory, but I was confused.
"But that would mean that you must be quite old, and you don't look it," I commented.
"Oh dear, I think Aragorn was right by saying that you had lost quite a lot of your memory."
"What?"
"Oh, come on, dear. We'll get you healed soon. Just lie down on the bed while I find you some new clothes. The ones you are wearing look dreadful, if I may say so myself,"
"But you still haven't told me your names," I argued, while following her orders.
"Very well, my name is Melda," she then gestured at the two other silent maids. "This is Meltôriel and Valpantiel."
"They're beautiful names," I whispered, more to myself then Melda, Meltôriel, or Valpantiel.
"Thank you, mam, but you must now get your rest, You've experienced a tiresome journey, I imagine," Melda advised strongly. As much as I wanted to keep asking questions and exploring this mysterious world, I knew Melda was right. I was exhausted. "I will get the healers, and hopefully they will be able to give you proper treatment." I nodded, and waved in farewell as the three maids left me alone to my thoughts.
Soon my eyelids started to droop and my head seemed to weigh a tonne. Then darkness took rule.
The world greeted my teal blue eyes with white light. A groan escaped my rose lips as I found my whole body ached. The white light began to fade into my surroundings, and for a moment I wondered where on earth I was. Then I realized that I wasn't on earth anymore. My attention was grabbed by the sky outside. It was the same colour as I had seen when I arrived in Rivendell. It was a magnificent cobalt blue splashed with candy floss, chiffon clouds with the sun glistening like a golden globe. But did that mean I only slept for about a couple of hours? It didn't feel like that, it felt like I was asleep for an entire day.
"Two days." A gruff unknown, but also strangely familiar voice uttered. I sat up in my bed and saw an elderly man who was standing at the side of my bed. He had long grey, wavy hair and an equally long beard, two wise blue eyes that his many secrets, and tan skin that wrinkled around the eyes. He wore a threadbare grey cloak and a sack like kaftan, a pointed grey 'Harry Potter' hat, and he clutched a staff made out of twisted wood.
"Do I know you?" I asked, quite rudely, staring at the odd man.
"I am Gandalf the Grey," he introduced in his gruff, yet calming voice.
"What's with with the wizard hat and wooden staff?"
"I am a wizard, young Miss. Chloe." My mouth fell open. There were wizards in this world too?! But what was a wizard doing in my room?
"What are you doing here?" I asked bluntly.
"I could ask you the same question," he retorted calmly, but it made my stomach plunge into cold water. Did he know I was from another world? What was he going to do if he did?
"Um," I mumbled, not sure of what else to say.
"What is a woman like yourself doing in Rivendell at this time of dire need?" questioned Gandalf. I sigh of relief escaped my lips. He didn't know, thank goodness he didn't know.
"I don't know," I replied truthfully. "I can't really remember anything."
"Well, the elves did as much as they could on you, so hopefully you will be able to retrieve your memory back again soon."
"Okay, well that's good, I suppose," I said and tried to get out of the bed, but Gandalf stopped me.
"Now, now, you must rest until your strength has fully recovered." I huffed in annoyance, how long did these people expect me to lounge around in bed?
"But you said I'd been sleeping for two days! That's like the longest I've ever slept for. I think, I just need a walk to recover my strength, not more sleeping!" I said, raising my voice a bit. The wizard only chuckled.
"Never before have I come across such a woman as yourself. very stubborn and headstrong, if you don't mind me saying. But I, however, do think you have got a point. I will speak to Lord Elrond to see if you can have a short walk," Gandalf smiled. I was starting to like this man more and more by the second. he was wise but humorous, elderly but could still make a good friend. Those traits seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place my finger on how.
"Thanks," I replied, a smile of my own gracing my lips.
"Yes, but I am afraid you'll have to wait a while. I have a very important meeting I have to attend to that starts very soon. However, after the meeting, I will talk to Elrond about your walk. But for now, just stay in bed. I don't think I shall take too long," he said the last part uncertainly, and that made my spirits hastily downcast. I knew I couldn't argue with him now, but I still wasn't pleased with the outcome. As soon as Gandalf left the room to his 'secret' meeting, I climbed out of bed. I didn't really care that I was disobeying anyone, I felt better anyway. Although my head still gave involuntary throbs and my legs were rather unstable beneath me, I ignored that and walked over to where I thought the wardrobe was. I was sure they wouldn't mind me changing into some more suitable clothes as mine were torn and dirty. When I opened the wardrobe, a excited look lighted up my face. There were at least two dozen beautiful silk dresses. Elvish dresses. My Girly girl self was literally singing as I searched through the dresses for the perfect one. An admiral blue one caught my attention so I took it out and examined it. It was sleeveless, had a glossy navy sash around the waist, and fell to the floor like a waterfall. Smiling, I carefully dressed into it, leaving my old clothes folded on the bed. I redid my hair also, as I had found a brush on the top of the wardrobe. I combed my marigold hair into a simple plait, a few strands shaping my face, then, feeling happy with my appearance, walked out of the bedroom.
To my surprise, I found that I was not alone in my walk when I entered the main hallway.
"Pippin? Merry? Sam?" I asked, bemused. The three froze in their footsteps, but then relaxed when they saw it was only me who was calling them. What were those trouble-maker's up to?
"Chloe!" Merry cried, running up to me, and wrapping his arms around my waist. "You're alright!" A laugh escaped my mouth and I patted his small head.
"I'm fine," I grinned. Pippin and Sam soon joined in on the hug.
"Are you sure you're okay, Miss. Chloe! We were mighty worried about you," Sam asked, concerned. I loved how he called me Miss. Chloe; it was so sweet.
"I'm sure, and I bet you guys weren't that worried about me."
"We were!" put in Pippin, and I ruffled his hair.
"Anyway, where were you going? You looked like you didn't want to get caught," I said suspiciously. The three hobbits shared guilty looks.
"Promise you won't tell?" Sam asked. This perked my interest and I nodded my head. How bad could it be?
"We're going to a secret meeting. Lots of people from different lands arrived in Rivendell. It seemed really important." Merry explained. They must be talking about Gandalf's meeting.
"You mean the meeting Gandalf's attending?" I questioned.
"Yes, how do you know Gandalf, anyway?" asked Sam.
"I have my ways," I replied mysteriously. "But what about this meeting?"
"Well, our friend Frodo is going to it, because he has the ri—" Pippin was cut off my shushing sounds made by his friends.
"Because he has what?" I persisted, interested.
"Nothing," Merry said, glaring at a guilty Pippin. "Well, we weren't exactly invited, but we're going anyway." How rebellious! But it also sounded intriguing. All this secrecy and mystery, perhaps spying on some meeting could be fun, and a lot more thrilling than going on a normal walk.
"Can I tag along too?" I asked, making surprised looks enter their faces.
"Of course, but why? We could get into a lot of trouble if anyone found out."
"I know." A mischievous smile came to my face. "That's why we won't get caught."