Serena wearily made her way to the large dining hall, dressed finely for the ball that happened inevitably every other night. At first, it had been exciting to dress up and be escorted by a handsome Elvish man to dine and dance. Then it became merely amusing. Then it became a chore. The experience also became tarnished when she realized that her escort was only kind to her because the Mirkwood faction held his family under their power, and would probably execute him if he dared disobey the Maidens. She felt sorry for him, so after awhile she dismissed him and walked herself to the great hall.
She knew that Maeve would be looking for her and would be angry if she did not appear to be having a wonderful time like the rest of the women. She was wrung out from her long hours of crying, but she knew that if she was to escape she would have to pretend as long as possible that she was happy to be living in Middle-earth.
Serena dully looked around at the riot of color and the exotic faces around her. Beautiful women all, in dazzlingly different ways. A woman with pale skin and dark blue hair glided by with an Elvish man on her arm- Serena noted the empty glaze in his eye and sympathized: she felt the same way.
How could they all be so happy? Didn't they know it wasn't real? Of course, Serena herself was overjoyed when she first came to Middle-earth. She had been in love with the books since she was a child. First her father read her The Hobbit and when she was a little older and had more of an attention span, he read her The Lord of the Rings. She loved all the characters, but became especially enamored of Aragorn. When life got hard, and her parents were divorced, she would escape (figuratively) into the books again. When she was reading, she didn't have to think about her mother scrambling to pay the bills or her father getting remarried; there was only Aragorn, Frodo, and Gandalf.
She like many other Maidens had no idea how the gate opened. Maybe it was the constant wishing to be somewhere else, or perhaps it was just luck or fate or global warming. Whatever it was, she had stepped through the glowing doorway and ended up in Rivendell. The Maidens had just taken over Rivendell when she had gotten here, and her skills were immediately assessed and she was drafted into service. As an archer, she never had seen close up anyone that she had killed, but she knew she must have hit someone with her arrows. After all, her skill was unparalleled even by the best Elvish archer. She wished often she had dreamed herself to be a healer instead, but it was not to be.
When had she begun to be unsatisfied with life here in Rivendell? After the war with the native inhabitants came the war with other Maidens until each faction agreed to temporary peace to close the gate. Now there were uneasy allegiances between all the factions, and there were several: they existed in the Shire, Mirkwood, Lothlorien, Gondor, and even Mordor. She lived comfortably in Rivendell and even helped with the renovations that stood today. Every day was joyful and sweet and she was allowed one hour every month to be alone with Aragorn.
Since there were so many Maidens with an interest in the important figures of Middle-earth, there had to be a way to allot this precious resource to the whole Maiden population. Much of the fighting was over who would "own" Frodo or Aragorn, or Legolas and the leaders had to come up with a way to stop the bloodshed. It was finally determined that all Maidens would have a chance to spend time with their beloved, but would have to share by taking turns spending an hour or so with their chosen man (or woman). It wasn't a perfect system by any means, but it did stop the outright murder and assaults that were happening on a more and more frequent basis.
Serena smiled ruefully and thought back to the first time she met with Aragorn. She was so anxious and her palms were sweating. Serena expected that he would immediately fall in love with her at first sight. Was she not beautiful, skilled in archery, have a lovely singing voice, and was graceful? She was sorely disappointed by his reaction.
She was his fifth Maiden visit of the day. Aragorn welcomed her into his well-decorated living quarters (he had no choice with the impassive guards standing behind Serena) and bade her to sit. He explained that he was honored by her visit but that he was engaged to another and that she should not hope for romance from him. The speech sounded rehearsed and his voice was hoarse. Serena was mortified and hurt by the rejection, yet she stayed. They spoke a little more about trivial matters and Serena left feeling confused and annoyed. Why didn't he love her? Which Maiden had already won his heart?
It turned out that no Maiden was able to sway the handsome Aragorn to her side. Serena had always ignored Arwen the Evenstar when she imagined herself in Aragorn's arms, but it turned out that Aragorn did not feel the same way. Even after Arwen was sealed away in the high tower of Gondor, Aragorn would still not cast her aside for a new love. It was dreadfully romantic, but annoying. Still, Serena visited once a month and passed the time with Aragorn in idle chatter. The whole experience was sad, and she began to feel a little ashamed that this great man was kept like so much chattel. The walls of the façade of the "perfect world" of the Maidens began to crack that day.
Serena felt eyes on her and she looked up to see Maeve standing on the balcony looking down on her. Serena immediately plastered a simpering smile on her face and pretended to be enjoying her meal. Outwardly she continued her act but inwardly she was furiously thinking of a way to open the gate and get back home. Unfortunately, she had no idea of how to do so. Maeve and the other faction leaders had been the only ones involved in shutting the gate and had a better understanding of what the gate actually was. Serena wasn't even sure of where the gate existed let alone how to open it. She couldn't very well ask Maeve and she couldn't trust any of the other Maidens. That only left research or asking a native inhabitant of Middle-earth. Someone with a lot of knowledge of the arcane…
The answer came suddenly and she gripped the table in excitement. Elrond! He was kept here in the castle. It would be difficult to arrange a meeting privately with him, especially since he was so well guarded but she would find a way. She only hoped he would be able to help her.