A Not-So-Alcohol-Induced Dream
"Sara."
I rolled over onto my side in my sleep. I had heard a voice that didn't belong to my roommate.
"Sara," the voice called again. It was a feminine voice, but it was deep. Well, it sounded deep, but at the same time it wasn't.
"Sara."
It was almost throaty, maybe rough. Or was it? It was light and whimsical too, almost. At this point I was just plain confused. Frustrated with hearing my name over and over, I opened my eyes. The dorm room I was sleeping in wasn't dark anymore. The room was filled with bright white light that looked kind of blue in some places. I looked over to where my window should have been, but I couldn't see it because of the bright light. I really wasn't even sure it was there. But it should have been. I held a hand up over my eyes, shielding them from the light.
"Damn, where is that light coming from?" I grumbled. I knew it was late. It had been close to one-thirty in the morning when my friends and I stumbled in from a night out. For being the early morning hours it was definitely too bright in the room.
"Sara," came that crazy deep slash smooth voice again. My head whipped in the direction that it came from, and I squinted my eyes hoping to see the source. But of course it was too friggin bright to see anyone. I would have been concerned that there was a complete stranger in my dorm room, but at this point I wasn't even sure that I was actually in my dorm.
"Do not dwell on loss, child, for you will soon see that for every loss there is a later triumph," the voice said, drawing my attention with every syllable.
"Umm, what loss?" I asked a little less politely than I could have. I wasn't really sure what the voice was referring to…I hadn't really lost anything. Well, okay, other than the ball point pen that I loaned to the weird emo boy with the green faux hawk in my geography class. But you never loan a pen to someone unless you're prepared to lose it.
"Change is coming, and darkness shall fall. Do not let shadow conquer your heart, child, for there will still be hope. Keep your strength and your heart open, for you shall be a symbol of hope for many."
This was just plain bizarre. "What the…" I squinted my eyes again trying to see through the blinding light. But once again, I couldn't see a blasted soul. "Lady, what are you getting at?" I asked with frustration. Expecting another cryptic response, I got nothing instead. I waited for a moment, and still nothing. "It must have been the tequila," I mumbled to myself, remembering the extra shots I took after I knew I should have stopped. I then remembered the little dance number I had done on a pole soon after the last shot and grimaced. The tequila shots were such a bad choice. Thinking that the whole mysterious voice episode may have been a figment of my imagination, I squeezed my eyes together.
And then I woke up.
I looked over at my side to see Brooke's face only a couple of inches away from mine. "What the eff, man?!?" I squeaked, flinging myself against the wall in surprise.
She arched an eyebrow while smirking. "You were talking in your sleep, ya crack head."
I grabbed my neck, trying to calm myself. "Yea, well you've done worse. A couple of nights ago you were cackling in your sleep," I said, trying to make myself feel better. Brooke was a very active sleeper. Sometimes she would be talking randomly in her sleep, other times she would be mumbling incoherently. One night she screamed bloody murder before bursting into song. Yea, I know…it's weird. Imagine how I feel when I wake up at three in the morning to hear it.
"So what did you dream about?" my roommate asked, standing from the chair she had pulled up beside my bed and walking over to the sink. I watched her turn on the sink and grab for her toothbrush while trying to figure just what exactly I had dreamt about. She turned to me, holding her toothbrush and talking with a mouthful of toothpaste. "What, are you still too drunk to remember?" she laughed, sending globs of toothpaste spraying.
"HEY! I just cleaned the floor yesterday!" I yelled, pointing at a single white gob on the floor. She waved a hand at me, dismissing it and muttering a very mushy 'oh, I'll wipe it up'. I shuffled across the cold tile floor to my dresser and pulled out a plain green t-shirt and a pair of jeans and then shuffled to my closet.
"Dude," Brooke said before gargling. I heard her spit in the sink before saying, "what did you dream?"
I pulled my shirt over my head and straightened my jeans before stepping out of the closet. "I really don't know. It was kinda weird."
Brooke walked to her desk and turned on her macbook. "Weird how?" she asked.
"I don't know. This strange voice was telling me not to dwell on my loss and that the world was going to fall under darkness but there was still hope…or something like that," I said dismissively, picking up my hairbrush and running it through my very wild, tangled hair.
Brooke spun around in her chair to face me after typing a message in her chat box. "I told you to go easy on the tequila last night, Sara. But you just didn't listen," she wagged her finger at me in mock scolding.
I was about to say something back when my cell phone started ringing. I slid it open. "Greg, hey! What's up?"
"Wow, you're actually awake before noon on a Saturday," teased the cynical voice of our friend Greg. "Tell me, is Brooke awake also?"
Brooke looked up curiously, wondering who I was talking to. "Yea, she was actually up before I was."
"THE FREAK WAS TALKING IN HER SLEEP!" Brooke yelled in the background.
"Okay, so I don't want to know what that was all about," he said with a strong sense of disinterest. "Anyways, I was asking to see if you two are ready to grab some lunch, because Josh and I are hungry."
Brooke, who had been listening in, nodded her head quickly to show that she was indeed ready. "Yea, you want us to meet you in the dining hall?"
"Yea, we'll be there in ten," Greg said before hanging up.
I looked at the clock on Brooke's desk, which read eleven-twenty-five. Brooke was also eyeing it. "Alright so he said they'll be here in ten minutes, which means they'll really be here in twenty…so let's go down at ten till twelve just so to give them some extra time."
I snorted, knowing she would be right. The boys were late everywhere we went. It took them forever to get ready to go anywhere. We swore that they took longer to get ready than teenage girls. Waiting for the time to pass, we both sat at our desks, checking our facebooks. Finally I heard Brooke sigh. "Whatever, let's just go down. I'm starving…so they can just join us when they get there."
I laughed at her impatience, even though I felt the same way. We grabbed our wallets and walked out the door, making sure it closed completely before making our way down the hall.
***
A man stood on a balcony overlooking the road below. Only hours ago had he entered the city with three hobbits in tow, all weary from travel and concerned for their kinsman who had been sped to Rivendell to seek healing. He had checked in to make sure that the ailing hobbit was being tended to and left assured once he saw Lord Elrond himself seeing to him. Now he was standing alone, reflecting on all that had transpired in the past few days.
The ring of power had been found. It had landed in the hands of a hobbit, one of Middle Earth's most innocent, not to mention oblivious beings. The man sighed looking down at the road below him, wondering how such a large burden could come to such a small person. A scarlet leaf drifted onto his hand which rested on the railing he was leaning against. He looked at it for a moment before picking it up with nimble care only to let it drop through the air. He watched as it landed on the head of an elf maid below, who didn't even notice as she was busy scolding two small boys. A new presence had taken its place on the balcony behind him, but the man paid no mind to it. Whoever it was would make themselves known.
"The Halflings are quite fortunate that you met them in Bree. They would not have made such a perilous journey on their own," said a deep voice behind him.
The man nodded. "I know few who could hide from the Nazgul, if they were indeed being followed by them."
"The Hobbit Frodo could have very easily joined the nine, had my daughter not brought him here in time. I think he and his friends finally see the danger they are in," the source of the deep voice finally came to stand beside the man.
"They have probably never seen the world outside the Shire. Not until now would they understand the danger that is out there," the man said, finally looking at the elf beside him. "When do they arrive?" he asked, his grey eyes leaving the elf's face to flash across the road below.
The elflord clasped his hands and rested them on the railing, looking unseeingly into the sunlit forest just outside the city's walls. "The messengers were sent yesterday evening when it came to my attention that the ring was on its way to Imladris. I expect the guests to begin arriving in a week's time," he replied in a very straightforward manner.
Both were silent for a moment, drinking in the serene atmosphere around them. A breathy breeze blew the man's hair, seemingly waking him from a dream. "The hobbit Frodo, how does he fare?"
"I was able to clean his blood of the poison from the Nazgul blade. He will heal in time." The elf turned to give the man a slow glance. "Anyone else would have perished after having the poison in their blood for half the time he did, Estel. The hobbit has some strength in him."
The man nodded silently, returning his grey gaze to the road below as if awaiting the guests' arrival. Both remained silent as the pregnant breeze blew by them as if trying to feel what it would bring them. Though neither spoke of it, they knew trying times were ahead.
***
The day had faded into night and most of the city had retreated to their homes. Only a few lingered outdoors, either strolling through the moonlit streets of the city or lounging in the city's gardens. Most of the elves in Rivendell were filling their time by reminiscing with friends and loved ones, but this was not the case for the lord who overlooked his city. Elrond sat in his study behind a table scattered across the top with books. Several of the books lied open, some with pieces of parchment with hastily scribbled notes sticking between the pages. A single candle flickered at the center of the table, providing just enough light to give the room a subtle glow, though the elflord didn't need it to read.
No matter how many tomes he sifted through the reading, nothing seemed to provide him with the answer he wanted. He closed his eyes briefly and took in a breath before pushing himself away from the table and moving towards the open window for some fresh air.
"I know what it is that troubles your mind."
The elflord chuckled softly before closing his eyes to better focus on the voice of his wife's mother, whom was contacting him through his mind. "Ah, if only you knew the answer that would bring me some solace."
"You know the answer you seek, my friend. But can you trust yourself enough to accept it?" the voice asked knowingly. After hearing his heavy sigh, she continued. "Twenty years it has been since the stewardess of Gondor fled her home with her daughter. You are as familiar with the prophecy as I. Yesterday was the twentieth birthday of Alodia. It is only a matter of time before the Valar return her to Middle Earth, and then she will be reunited with her family.
Elrond pondered her words as he stared into the darkness. "Will her mother return with her?" he asked, though it mattered little if she did. She would play no part in the task at hand.
"She will not. The stewardess was sent away from this world for her protection, as her home was no longer safe for her. To bring her back to the place she fled from would send her to a premature death. Alodia was also sent away for her protection, but with her ability it is necessary to bring her back. She will be needed in the time to come."
"How can we be sure that she will be safe once she is reunited with her family?"
"Once she meets her brothers, their bond will be reforged. They will not let any harm come to their sister. As for her father, he will not approve of having her so near, as he was the reason for their leaving. As you know, it is because of her ability that her father sent her and her mother away. Even against her father, though, her brothers will protect her. A bond shared between siblings is difficult to break."
Elrond turned his head to see a servant enter the room, but at seeing the look of deep concentration on the elflord's face, the servant turned quickly and left. "And you are sure that she will answer the council summon with her brother?"
"She will, even though both her brothers will try to persuade her differently."
For a moment the voice paused, allowing him a moment to mull over everything she had told him. "When can I expect her and her brother to arrive?"
Lightening the tension of the matter, she laughed softly. "Oh, I can't give you all the answers, my friend. Then there would be no surprises," she paused again. "Don't expect their arrival before a week."
Elrond breathed in deeply as he felt her presence leave his mind. Turning slowly he scanned the room, deciding to call it a night. He circled the table, picking up the books and returning them to their rightful places on the shelves that lined the room. He then began gathering the loose leaves of parchment he had written on and stacked them together. The leaf on top caught his attention and he narrowed his eyes as he read the first line scribbled in his hasty scrawl:
…a promised one, sent by the Valar.
A/N
Sorry it has been so long. I'm really busy with school this semester and I would rather make sure I have something decent for you guys to read than just slap something together to post. Hope it was enjoyable. By the way, did anyone see Alice in Wonderland? Johnny Depp was cute as a button. I wanted to stick him in my purse and take him home with me. Anyways, review and let me know what you thought of the chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner than this one.
Peace,
Rhythmic5