Chapter three: Meeting the locals

Shoroya had once gone to school, it was a very long time ago but she still remembered what they had taught the students about different animals and there was no way a spider could get hat freaking big. First of all, it would be crushed by its own weight since the exoskeleton would be too thin to carry its bulk and second of all it would choke since spiders don't have lungs but breathes through holes in its skin. These spiders had forgotten that there are such a thing as biology lessons, cause they were damn huge.

She didn't want to waste no arrows so she was careful about her aim. She shot three spiders in just thirty seconds and Rick went straight at the herd of monsters snarling. "Be careful love, I bet they are poisonous."

He was moving like a fleeting black shadow, too fast for the spiders to follow and he went for their legs. His powerful jaws crushed the lanky legs and left the spiders unable to move and then she had no problems killing them. She ran around as fast as she could and retrieved her arrows whenever she could, there were spiders everywhere. This place was in dire need of an exterminator and she had taken many jobs in her long life but that was not one of them. She had problems with guilt for even crushing a mosquito. How could a spider grow to such humongous size? She wished they had bought that radiation measurement device back in the sixties when it was all so very popular but then again, it would probably have stopped working by now. She had seen no florescent spiders yet so she could just hope that the cause for their size wasn't radiation. Rick kept running and jumping and the spiders tried to get to him but he was too cunning and he even managed to get two spiders to impale themselves onto protruding branches. It was rather apparent that these creatures were far from smart.

Shoroya had used all her arrows at least once and she was only able to shoot now whence she retrieved one, she had to run and skip and jump and it was getting increasingly hard for the ground was covered with dead spiders and they seemed to try to keep the two contained within this small area. She had to let go of the bow in the end, her arrows spread out over a too great area for her to find them all and she took her machete instead and her hunting knife. She wouldn't be that efficient with these weapons but there was no other choice. She never stood still for even a second, keep moving no matter what happens, that was her motto now. Be a caffeinated squirrel or something like that, something small and very fast. She was glad the machete had been sharpened for it got more than enough to do right there and then.

The spiders were tough though, the exoskeleton rather hard and they were surprisingly fast too, and very vicious. She was considering climbing to get away but the spiders did climb too and she just had to keep fighting. Rick was getting tired, she could see it and a wave of despair rushed through her, she could not let him down, she had to help him but how? She was tiring too, the fighting had gone on for longer than she had thought and her legs were shivering. A spider knocked her over and tried to bite her but she cut its mandibles off with the machete, another tried to sting her but she rolled away and she heard Rick's voice. "Try to get underneath a rock or something."

She couldn't, there was no way she could do that. "No way, I won't let you become some darn arachnid's dinner."

She kept cutting and the spiders kept coming from every direction and she was sure that they were done for when arrows suddenly started to fly among the trees and spiders fell with shrieking sounds. Two tall slender persons appeared almost out of the blue, shooting arrows while they were running and leaping and jumping from branch to branch. Shoroya immediately went into action, retrieving her arrows and she saw that these two had fought spiders before. There was some sort of silent communication happening between them. She could clearly see that and she also saw that they were a bit intimidated by Rick. They stayed as far away from him as possible. The spiders kept coming still but she started firing again and with three good archers they managed to keep the beasts at bay.

Shoroya just wondered for how long that would be when yet another group of people arrived and started killing spiders and the battle turned in that moment. The spiders started to flee and she stared at the newcomers and saw that they all wore the same clothes more or less. Some very old fashioned looking uniforms dyed in green and brown colors that made them blend into the very forest itself. They all had long hair in thick braids and most of them had brown or dark blonde hair but a couple were light blond and one had almost black hair. And they all had pointy ears, right, elves. When the spiders were gone she very carefully laid her bow down and placed her machete next to it, the spiders were perhaps terrifying but these creatures were just as lethal and far more intelligent.

Rick was shivering when he changed back and he stood there naked for a few moments before he found his pants and got them back on. He was just as tall as the elves but more roughly hewn, still he was just as handsome as they were in her mind at least, he was just a bit more barbaric perhaps. The elves had gathered around them and stared at them, a dark haired one with something that had to be officer tags on his uniform came forth and he looked nervous but self-assured too. He said something that sounded like utter gibberish, pretty gibberish but she didn't understand a single syllable. Then he tried some different language and she just shook her head. Rick stood there with his arms across his chest and the elves did throw some very nervous glances at him.

She held her hands out, palms up. "Look you guys, I don't understand any of that."

The officer tilted his head, darn he was pretty, or more precisely, beautiful. They were all freakingly perfect and she felt a little bit intimidated by that fact. "You speak Westron?"

Shoroya did understand him, the accent sounded a bit like old English and she nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes we do."

The elf let out a sigh of relief, he bowed his head slightly. "I am Alatar, officer in his royal highness guard. Who are you and what are you doing here in our realm?"

Shoroya tried to appear as polite as possible, she bowed too and tried to smile. "I am Shoroya, he is my husband Rick, we are frankly speaking not sure of where we are, we are very lost you might say."

The elf frowned, he stared at Rick with reluctant respect. "You are a skin changers mate?!"

She nodded and he swallowed. "From whence do you come, your clothes and things are so…strange."

Rick just growled. "Somewhere of which you have never heard. A whole different world."

The elf frowned again and Shoroya sighed. "It is true, we are not from your world at all. That is why we look so different."

Alatar swallowed, he was willing to believe them, the fabrics of their clothes and the things they carried were completely alien and he tried to keep his composure. "You are in the realm of Aran Thranduil of Mirkwood, all who trespass are to be taken to the king for interrogation."

Shoroya took a deep breath, she nodded. Trying to resist would be stupid with that many armed elves surrounding them and Rick just grinned. "We sort of guessed that you would say something like that."

Alatar picked up Shoroya's bow and some other took their knives. "What is this made from? It is so light?"

He tried to pull it and was shocked by how hard it was to draw. Shoroya smiled, she was proud of the bow and hoped that they wouldn't confiscate it for good. "Something called carbon fiber, it is made in my world."

Alatar looked at her arrows, all had been retrieved and he stared at the strange tips that could be screwed onto the arrow shaft. The metal looked as if it hadn't been used at all and each tip was razor sharp. "These are amazing, and we have never thought of making arrow tips that can be screwed onto the shaft."

Shoroya beamed a bit. "Well, it is very handy at times, there are more arrowheads in the quiver though, of different types."

The elf picked up the machete and studied it with narrow eyes. "This blade is rather crude, it almost looks like something orcs would use but it is so light, and so sharp?"

Shoroya looked confused. "Orcs?"

Alatar nodded. "The three riders you killed up at Emyn Duir were orcs."

She gaped. "You know about them? Oh, orcs, right, now I know what they were."

Alatar was confused too. "You don't have orcs where you come from?"

Rick shook his head and pulled the rest of his clothes back on, including his boots. "No such thing there no, only humans."

Alatar tilted his head. "You are not human?"

Rick sighed. "Well there are some exceptions but the humans doesn't know about us. It's for the best for believe me, the humans of our world are hostile to anything not quite like them."

Alatar just nodded, still a bit amazed by it all. He ordered two of the warriors to pick up the backpacks and they did, although a bit reluctantly. Alatar sent the two a stern smile. "Let's move before more spiders show up."

They started walking, Shoroya was tired but she was used to pushing herself and Rick was stronger than anyone could imagine. To him this was rather easy, he recovered from almost anything very fast. The forest was dark and it didn't smell right and Shoroya saw that the elves were very alert the whole time. She had a feeling of disbelief and also of foreboding. The trees were silent, their thoughts slow and sluggish and dark, as if they were sick. She couldn't contain it. "This forest is dying!"

Alatar turned his head around, looked at the female with an expression of shock. He had believed that only elves could sense the disease that was spreading through the forest. "Yes, it is infected."

Shoroya frowned. "Is there nothing anybody can do?"

Alatar shook his head. "No, the source of the infection is an old fortress which is inhabited by terrible creatures and dark magic alike. We are not strong enough to rid ourselves of it."

Rick looked rather menacing, there was a dark flame flickering in his eyes. "That doesn't sound very good?"

Alatar made a grimace. "It isn't, once it used to be a palace, the first the father of our king built in his time on the throne. It was abandoned since it was a bit too close to another realm ruled by someone he didn't trust that much and they moved to the palace you visited last night."

Rick frowned. "It must have been a grand place, why was it abandoned?"

Alatar smiled, his eyes dreamy. "Oh it was, it was wonderful, but the orcs and darkness settled on Amon Lanc and turned it into what it is now, Dol Guldur. A black and terrible place."

Shoroya nodded. "The wooden palace was too close?"

Alatar nodded, his fair face very sad. "Yes, it was, it had to be abandoned. Aran Thranduil moved us north, away from Dol Guldur. We live in a cave now, it is at least safe."

Shoroya made a grimace, a cave? That didn't sound too cozy at all.

Rick had no problems keeping up with the long legged elves, he wasn't even short of breath. "So the orcs are a problem here?"

Alatar sighed and nodded. "Yes, very much so. We are in a constant battle to defend our realm and we all fear that it one day will be too much, that we will lose."

Rick growled. "I understand that, they were a terrible bunch. But they could die."

Alatar sent him a grim smile. "That is the only good thing about them."

Shoroya hissed, she felt a chill run down her spine. "So they have been a problem for a long time?"

The elf nodded. "You probably don't know our history but yes, they have been a problem for ages, almost since the very beginning of our world. It has gotten worse though, because of that place. It is too close to home if you see what I mean?"

The two nodded and Alatar made a gesture towards the forest around them. "It is getting worse, the spiders are spreading too and it isn't that long ago that the king lost his wife because of this malady."

Shoroya felt a lump in her throat. "She got killed by spiders? Orcs?"

Alatar shook his head. "We don't know, she and some of her maids rode out to gather herbs and never returned. Only two horses came back and the animals were so injured they had to be put down. We all went looking for her but the only thing we found was a basket she had woven and a bracelet she had worn."

Shoroya cringed. "God, that is terrible, so nobody knows what happened to her?"

The elf nodded. "No, it is a mystery. The king almost went mad with grief and fear and if it hadn't been for their son he would have faded. "

Rick tried to look as compassionate as he could. "So the king has a son?"

Alatar smiled. "Yes, he is very young though, barely more than a child. He is very affected by the loss of his mother too."

Shoroya could imagine that yes, being very young and losing a parent like that. It had to be terrible and not knowing worse of all..

They had walked for quite a while when they came to a glen where two more elves stood guarding a herd of horses. Shoroya tilted her head, she was used to horses and these were the best she had ever seen, sleek muscular animals with intelligent eyes and a proud stance. They wore simple tack though, a very primitive halter and bit and a sort of pillow with stirrups for a saddle. Alatar looked a bit uncertain for a moment. "You do have horses where you come from?"

Shoroya nodded. "Yes, we are used to riding."

Two horses were presented to them and they managed to mount without too much awkwardness, the horse Rick got snorted and looked a bit nervous but he calmed down when Rick spoke to it with his calm deep voice. Shoroya had gotten a bay mare and she liked the feeling of pent up energy in the animal. They rode off and she was amazed by the speed the animals were able to keep through the forest. The horses were so agile and so fearless, they would jump and skip and turn on a dime and she knew that back home a horse like this would have been almost priceless. What barrel rider or show jumper wouldn't have given an arm and a leg for a horse like this?

The day was at its end and it was getting dark fast but they rode on, the forest didn't look that bad now, but it was still rather dark and the trees were not well. She could sense that. They stopped on a glen and Alatar rode his grey gelding over to them. "I am sorry but from here on you are to be blindfolded but worry not. We will not let any harm befall you, these horses do not throw their riders."

Rick looked very reluctant but he didn't protest and neither did Shoroya, she had already formed a sort of bond with the mare she rode and trusted the animal. Riding blind wasn't something she had done before but she just let go of the reins and let the horse guide itself.

She heard that they left the forest floor and came onto a real path, then after what had to be some hours they were on a road, probably covered with cobble stones. They had to be closer now. She felt that morning wasn't that far away, her inner clock did work well here too. The horses were picking up their pace, they probably knew that the stable wasn't that far away. There was a sound of rushing water and she could hear that the hooves of the horses hit solid rock with a hollow ring to it, a bridge? Then the sound changed, they entered some huge room and she heard the sound of massive doors being shut behind her.

Alatar allowed them to remove the blindfolds and they got off the horses that were taken away to the stables. He nodded. "Wait here, I will inform the king of your arrival. "

He gestured for some other elves to carry their things with them and Shoroya clenched her teeth together and hoped that they would get everything back. Rick just stood there and looked rather stoical, he never let anything shake him out of balance emotionally.

Alatar was informed that the king was in his study at the moment, he quickly set course for the place with the servants in tow. He knocked and heard Thranduil's deep baritone answer, the officer took a deep breath and entered the room. He bowed and the king turned around, he didn't wear his crown since he wasn't in the throne room and it made him look a little bit less intimidating, not much but a little. "Now?"

Alatar kept his eyes to the floor, he swallowed. "We did find them my king, they had been fighting spiders for a while."

The king lifted an eyebrow in an almost shocked expression. "For a while? And they were unharmed?"

Alatar nodded. "Yes my king, they were unharmed. She is an amazing archer and the shape shifter was fighting very well too. "

He held out Shoroya's bow and quiver and the king went over and took the things, he seemed shocked by them. "This bow, it weights so little? And such peculiar arrows."

He picked up one arrow and studied it, noticed the amazing tip and the strange material the quiver was made from. It looked like leather but was cold and hard and yet it wasn't like metal or stone or tree. "Have they spoken?"

Alatar nodded again. "Yes my king, Her name is Shoroya and his is Rick, they are from another world, or so they do at least claim. I do believe them though, they are very different. "

Thranduil looked puzzled, another world? Some had once claimed that the great creator in his wisdom had awakened more than just one world from its slumber in the great void and that they too were inhabited by his children. Maybe that was true. The servants placed some other items on the floor and Thranduil stared at the back packs and the knives and the machete. The latter did interest him in special and he could not quite understand how the blade had been forged, it was so smooth and there was no signs of it being shaped by a smiths hammer.

The knives were gorgeous and very well made and he wondered if these two creatures were people of wealth and influence where they came from. He didn't dare touch the backpacks though, he had no idea of what they could contain. "Bring them here."

The servants ran to deliver the order and before long some warriors came with Rick and Shoroya, they had been searched for weapons and although the warrior who had frisked Shoroya had been very gentle and respectful she didn't like it. They were lead straight into the room and Shoroya almost gaped when she saw the elf who stood there by a huge desk. He was the tallest male she had ever seen and he was gorgeous, beautiful didn't quite fit because he did radiate a sort of silent strength, and he was extremely majestic. She hurried to bow as deeply as she could and Rick did bow to, although not so deep.

Thranduil stared at the two, the male was tall and strong and he had an almost elven kind of beauty to him, but he was a bit more rough than an elf. The female was petite and elegant and rather striking with thick black hair and soft golden brown eyes but there was something about her, something not human. He could smell it, she wasn't human even though she did appear to be one. He decided to see if she would reveal herself or not, he didn't trust any strangers before they had proven themselves trustworthy.

"So, my officer here tells me you are of another world, do you care to explain why you are here in my realm?"

The voice was calm, self-confident. Shoroya knew by sheer instinct that this was one being used to be in complete control of everything around him, to be in absolute power and he would not allow anybody to question him. She kept her eyes to the floor and tried to sound as sincere as she possibly could. "We do not know your majesty, there was a terrible thunderstorm and we suddenly found ourselves in this world. We have no idea of where we are and we are truly sorry if we have caused any offense but it was not our intention at all."

Thranduil stared at her, he sensed no deceit in her words, she was telling the truth and he didn't quite know what to make of it. He pointed at the backpacks. "Do remove the items from those…contraptions."

Rick hid a grin and knelt down, opened his backpack. He took out the sleeping bag and Shoroya did the same with her own backpack. Thranduil was sincerely curious, he had never encountered things like these and he was always eager to learn new things, it could be that they could be beneficial for his realm. "What is that?"

He didn't move closer to them, and Alatar and two other warriors stood there just in case but Shoroya did see the curious glimpse in the king's eyes and she knew already that this world was far less technologically advanced than her own. The palace was fantastic, a marvel and a great feat of engineering and craftsmanship but it was all very medieval looking. She saw fabrics and tapestries of incredible beauty but nothing that could have been made after the industrial revolution. Everything was hand crafted. Shoroya rolled her sleeping bag out. "It is what we call a sleeping bag, we use it when we need to spend the night outdoors."

Thranduil was used to bed rolls, this was not that very different but they were probably very convenient. "How do one enter one of those things, they look like cocoons!"

Shoroya slid the zipper down and that made the elf take a step back and then one forward, in sheer amazement. One servant took the sleeping bag and brought it to him and he stared at the zipper with narrow eyes and then he tried moving it. He let out a small gasp and pulled it up and down several times and there was a glimpse of awe in his eyes. "Such an ingenious invention?"

Shoroya nodded. "It is very handy yes, it is called a zipper and we use it also on clothes."

She could see that the elf already was thinking about the possible uses for this and she realized that this king was intelligent, he wasn't just a very pretty face. Rick almost chuckled and Thranduil stared at him with a cold glance. "What?"

Rick just nodded. "Oh, it is just that these things can be a bit dangerous too, when used in pants that is. Some guys have had some very painful experiences with zippers."

The elf looked confused. "Explain?"

Rick actually blushed. "Oh, well, things can get caught in the zipper, if one is not careful. We use the zipper in the front of the pants?"

Thranduil frowned for a second, then he obviously realized what Rick was talking about and cringed visibly. He just signaled for the servant to remove the sleeping bag. "Go on."

They pulled out their blankets which didn't surprise the elves but they obviously found the fleece interesting and had to feel and knead the fabric between their long dexterous fingers. Rick had the camping equipment, and he pulled the heavy bag out of the backpack and put it on the floor. The elves looked a bit suspicious and he took out the kettle and the metal bowl they used to make food in. The gas burner did confuse them and Rick took the lighter and lit it and the elves backed away with startled gasps. He cut the flame and grinned. "And thus we heat our food."

Thranduil stared at the lighter with wide eyes. "That thing, it makes fire?"

Rick nodded. "Yes, for a while, it uses a flammable liquid or gas as a source and eventually it gets empty but it can be refilled."

He held the zippo out and the elven king took it very hesitantly and stared at it. It was a very nice zippo with an eagle engraved into the metal on one side and a hawk on the other and the elf was obviously amazed by it. He tried to lit it but didn't quite get the hang of it. Rick nodded. "It isn't that easy, be careful or you may burn your fingers."

Thranduil gave him the zippo again, he was obviously in awe of the thing. Rick then showed them the flashlights and they did make every elf there gasp and stare. "Such light, so strong?! What magic enables so strong light to come from such a small source."

The king's voice was a bit hoarse and Shoroya held up the pack of batteries. "This sort of magic, but it is really just chemistry, or alchemy if you understand that word better. These things give power to the lights and when the power is used up the flashlights don't work anymore."

The first aid kit was the next thing they got out of the backpacks and the elves did understand what the things were for, after all, bandages are bandages everywhere. The syringe was something new though and Shoroya had to explain how it was used to get medicine into people. The idea was obviously new to them but she saw that it ignited a flame in the king, this could be very useful indeed. The bottle of aspirin was with the kit and she had to explain that these were pills used to ease pain and that too many of them could be very dangerous. The fishing equipment did cause some interest among the elves, the hooks were so well made and the telescopic fishing rod made them rather excited and they all had a go at pulling it out and pushing it back in again.

Shoroya felt that they reminded her a bit of children, they had a sort of innocence to them she wasn't used to see in adults. The packet of Beef jerky made the warriors curious and then a bit green when they explained what it was but Thranduil did find the concept intriguing, although not very appetizing. The snickers bars they had left did also make the elves curious, they were not so alert now, and Shoroya decided to sacrifice one of the bars. She pulled the paper of it and explained that it was a sort of snack used to give extra energy.

The elves did smell it, and looked very curious. "What is this made from?"

The king tilted his head and Shoroya smiled. "Something called chocolate that is made from some beans from a tree and sugar, which is made from sugar canes, peanuts which are nuts and caramel and some other things too."

She split the bar in two and then she gave Rick one half and took the other half herself. She handed the king one of the other bars and he looked suspicious and watched with narrow eyes as the two ate their pieces. He was very tempted, she could see it. He mimicked her, pulled the paper off the bar and studied the text, the letters were unfamiliar and so was the paper, so shiny and smooth and strange. He sniffed the bar, his nose was very sensitive and it would pick up any trace of poison or anything inedible. But it did in fact smell very good and he didn't want to look as if he was scared in front of the warriors and servants. He did take a small bite and the taste made him gasp. It was among the best things he had ever tasted. He stared at the bar with wide eyes. "This is a delicacy? It must be very costly?"

Shoroya shook her head. "No your majesty, it is rather cheap, they make a lot of it."

She got the remaining three bars and placed them onto the desk "Here, for your son. Children love these things but don't let him eat them all at once, he'll get a sugar rush from it and believe me, kids with a sugar high can be very hard to control"

Thranduil did look very pleased with the gift but he frowned slightly. "Sugar rush?"

Shoroya nodded. "Yes, when you eat something very sweet and get too much energy?"

One of the servants grinned. "Aha, remember the time he got into the pantry and ate all the honey cakes and sweet rolls the cook had made that day, he was almost running on the ceiling for a while."

The king grinned and for a moment he looked very likeable, far less threatening. It had to be a dear memory to him. "Oh yes, I remember Galion, I remember. We thought he never would go to sleep again."

Rick pulled out the whiskey bottle next and Thranduil looked very curious. "Is that some sort of wine?"

Rick shook his head. "No, this is far stronger than wine, it is a very old brand and this fluid is not for the faint of heart."

He opened the cork and the king got the bottle and sniffed it carefully, he threw his head back with a gasp and blinked twice. "Eru! That has to be liquid fire!"

Rick just grinned. "Yes, strong enough to awaken the dead or so they say. I haven't tried doing that but it does make you heat back up again of you are cold, that is for sure."

He put the cork back in the bottle and Shoroya started emptying her back pack. She pulled out the gown she had rescued from their car and the elves just stared at it. It was made from red satin embroidered with tiny crystal beads in green and gold and she had bought it for a wedding. She saw that the servants touched it with awe and so did the king, he stared at the crystals with something strange in his eyes. "This gown is worthy of a queen, are you royalty?"

Shoroya shook her head. "No, but it was a very expensive dress yes."

He looked at the seams and the strange design, tried to imagine her wearing it, it had to be quite a sight to behold. She pulled the red shoes out of the backpack too, they were also covered with crystals and very pretty and one of the servants said something that had to be a sort of curse. "How can anyone walk in shoes like that?!"

Shoroya got her boots off and put the pumps on, then she took a few steps and the elves were gaping. "Doesn't that hurt?!"

It was the servant named Galion who said that, he wore some other clothes than the others and looked important, probably a butler or something like that. "No, not when you are used to it"

She also pulled out her sack of clothes and laid them on the desk and she cringed internally when the butler started pulling out her every garment. The t-shirts were obviously something they did understand, after all, the shape was rather universal but they didn't understand the words written on them. The king picked up one of them, it was in a terrible green color with huge bold letters across the chest. "What does it say?"

Shoroya went beet red, that particular t-shirt was one she had gotten from a friend because that friends mother had gone ballistic when she saw her daughter wearing it, the text did shock most who saw it. It said( You suck! Do you swallow too?) and Shoroya cringed. "Ah, your majesty, that is a very indecent text, believe me, you do not want to know what it says, honestly!"

Thranduil cocked his head. He didn't quite understand this. "Why would anyone wear an indecent text like that, for all to see?"

Adelyn sighed. "To shock others, get a reaction. It is usually the very young who wear things like that, to make a statement and show their independence, or to rebel against their parents."

The king shrugged. "Humans, such weird customs."

Galion pulled a couple of bra's out of the bag and he held them up. "What are these for?"

Shoroya noticed that Rick was a bit red in the face and he was working very hard not to start laughing. Shoroya was blushing very prettily now. "Ah, those are a vital part of a lady's underwear, uh, think of it as a sort of corset? Very small?"

Galion held one of the bra's up and then he understood how it was worn, he blushed too and put it down, very fast. It was a nice piece of tailoring though, with beautiful embroideries and such exquisite fabric. Rick was shivering with withheld laughter by now.

The next thing the butler got out of the bag was one of Shoroya's g string panties and none of the elves understood what that was until she blushing and very embarrassed showed them. The kings eyes got very huge and the servants looked shocked, the warriors did cringe. Galion dropped the thing as if it was a poisonous snake or something. Shoroya almost growled. "It is clean thank you very much!"

Her makeup kit and the box of watercolors did create some amazement too and Rick's clothes were also scrutinized and she saw that they found his boxer shorts intriguing. They probably didn't have anything that comfortable there for the males and Shoroya got a suspicion that the tailors would get some very new ideas from now on. Her jewelry box was the next thing that was examined and the first thing Galion pulled out of it was a necklace she had gotten from her grandmother. It was made from small hematite beads and white opal's and it was simple but elegant and the king immediately went over staring at the box.

"Where did you get such gems from?"

Shoroya sighed, he was obviously very fond of bling, she saw several rings on his fingers and he wore a huge broche on his tunic, if she hadn't known that he had a wife and a son she would have believed that the guy was very gay indeed. She sighed. "The necklace I got from my grandmother but the gems are from a continent known as Australia."

He touched the stones reverently. "They are exquisite, and you are not of royal lineage? Your people must be wealthy indeed."

She just shrugged. "Well, we are doing alright I guess."

They also looked at her rings and the other necklaces and bracelets she had and they took particular interest in a bracelet made from silver and Kauri shells, the shells were shaped like leaping dolphins encased in silver and the elves were obviously in awe of both the craftsmanship and the very design. The dolphins had to mean something special to them.

The outdoor clothes were examined carefully, both their jackets, pants and sweaters and the raincoats. The knitted sweater she had brought was making the servants very excited and Galion explained to them that they had seen humans wearing something rather similar but not so nice. The boots had to be explained too and the elves had let their guard down by now. They were so fascinated by everything they behaved like kids on Christmas eve.

Shoroya pulled out the small plastic bag containing their toothbrushes, brushes and combs and her pack of tampons and they did understand the toothbrushes and brushes well since they had something rather similar there but the tampons on the other hand caused some problems. Galion stared at the small white cone shaped thing wrapped in shiny wrapping and he frowned. "What in the name of Eru is this for?"

Shoroya blushed like a beet, she had problems staying serious. "Oh, that is….that is something we females use…for that time of the month?"

The elves just stared with expressions that were rather peculiar, she almost felt a touch of panic. "Don't female elves bleed once a month?"

Many elves did blush violently and the king was a bit pale, he was biting his lip. Galion managed to look at least a bit in control of himself. "No, but we do know that mortals do yes, but how can these things be used for….ah…such conditions? Do you roll them out?"

Shoroya was feeling how her face felt stiff like a board and she was sure she looked like a field of tomatoes. Rick was holding his hand in front of his face, trembling all over. "No, you see, ah, we put them up into…you know…uh"

There were some very peculiar expressions to witness there, Shoroya wished she had had a camera for gee, that much gaping would have won an award or broken the internet if the images were posted. Rick couldn't contain himself, he broke down roaring with laughter and some of the elves started chuckling too. Shoroya got over, grasped the pack and shoved it back into the backpack, blushing like mad.

Thranduil realized that this was a rather touchy subject and he found it a bit intriguing that the female was so bold and yet so shy. These people had a very different view upon the world than his own, that was very apparent.

Galion pulled the books out, they were at the bottom of her pack and he gasped and stared at the image on front of the first one. It was a huge photo of Mt Rainier and she could see that the concept of photography was something entirely new. Thranduil stared at the image with awe. "What sort of book is this? Is this some sacred site? The home of your gods?"

Shoroya shook her head. "No, it is a book with pictures from places of exceptional beauty, places that are protected by law so that nobody can destroy them or use them for farming or fell the trees or exploit the land."

Thranduil swallowed. "You do that? Protect places? That is…very nice."

She nodded. "It is needed, there are kids who never have been outside of the cities they are born in and people who knows little more than nothing about nature. Our world is overrun by humans unfortunately."

The king turned the book around. "How are these images made? They are not paintings?"

Rick had calmed down from the tampon incident and he had wiped some tears away from his face. "You might say that it is made from a method that is basically trapping light and using it to paint with, you sort of capture the moment within the picture. "

Thranduil touched the book very carefully, as if he was afraid that it would bite him. "Painting with light?! Not even Feanör tried that!"

He opened the book gently, the elves did apparently have great respect for written knowledge and he found the shiny pages amazing and the way the book was made was also confusing to him. But the pictures, Eru the pictures. The elves gathered all around them and stared as the king slowly went from one page to the next. The awe stricken expressions and the small gasps and shouts told her that they found the images stunning. "I can explain what you are seeing later."

Thranduil nodded slowly, he stared down at an image of a place covered with ice and in front was a huge white bear with a bloody seal carcass. That world had to be very diverse indeed.

The next book was the one with pictures of horses and dogs and she saw that the king suddenly took a new and keen interest. He was obviously fond of horses and the first picture was of a snow white Arabian stallion trotting over the desert sand, it looked as if the proud animal was flying and its long silky mane and tail was flowing in the wind behind it. It stared at the camera with a haughty but benign expression and wore a traditional halter made from red silk with a lot of embellishment. The king lifted his gaze and stared at Shoroya, there was something akin to hunger in his eyes. "Such horses, are they common in your world?"

She had to shake her head. "No, they are very fiery and costly, they are known as the breed for kings though. Great warlords rode to battle on them in the olden days."

He was still enthralled by the picture. "It is beautiful, oh what enemy would stand against you if you had steeds like that?"

Shoroya made a grimace. "Not many here I think. But it is only one of many excellent breeds from my world."

He opened the book on a randomly chosen page and it showed a picture of a shire horse in full harness with a grown man standing next to it. "Eru's voice, is that possible? That is a man and not a hobbit?!"

She nodded. "Yes, that horse is really so large, it would have been taller than you are your majesty. Bred to pull heavy carts but originally they were war horses, they carried men in heavy armor and were armored themselves, they had to be huge and strong and calm to do that."

It was obvious that the king imagined a cavalry charge like that for he shuddered and his eyes were glazed for a moment. He moved the book aside and looked at the few magazines she had brought. "What are these?"

She sighed "That are magazines, they are a bit like books but not made to last that long, they are usually made for people with special interests."

She picked one up. "This one is made for people who like to fish, and this one is for people who like to keep an eye on how the fashions in clothing changes. "

The king opened the last one on a page and frowned. "What in the name of the Valar is that woman wearing? Fishnets?!"

Shoroya did giggle. "Yes, we have something that is called designers who create new styles and that designer is a bit…far out"

The elves stared at the picture. "Who would wear that? And only that? And that woman looks like a young boy"

Shoroya heard the shock in the kings voice and she shrugged. "Well, the people they use to show their creations to potential buyers are always like that, tall and skinny."

He just shook his head in a display of disbelief and shock and took a look at the cooking magazine, that didn't shock him that much but it was apparent that the pictures did create some curiosity. "What is that?"

Rick got over and grinned. "That is a very popular dish called a pizza. It is basically a thin piece of dough with meat, vegetables and cheese on it and it is baked in an oven like a bread. "

Galion got eager, he leaned forth and stared at the picture. "Well, it doesn't look that appetizing though, it looks more like…I don't know. An accident?"

Shoroya did giggle and Rick grinned. "Well, you are right about that, but it is very good. I can teach your cook how it is made? You may not have all the ingredients though."

The king had found another page with a huge picture of a bull of the breed Belgian blue, he just blinked and stared at the grotesque animal. "Is that a real animal?!"

Shoroya nodded her head. "Unfortunately yes, they are bred to look like that, the cows cannot give birth so the calf's has to be cut out of them and the meat is practically tasteless but they grow fast and that creates profit. Money is what makes our world go around."

Galion put up a rather nasty grimace. "Then I am glad I am not from that world, poor animal."

Thranduil got a grip on himself, he tried to appear in control again. "I have come to the conclusion that you are no threat to us at the moment so you will be allowed to stay here if you so wish."

Rick bowed his head. "We are very grateful your highness."

Thranduil tilted his head and the sharpness was back in his gaze. "I would like to know what your lovely mate is though, for I can smell she isn't human. Is she a skin changer like you?!"

Shoroya swallowed and made a grimace. "You are right your highness, I am a skin changer, although of an entirely different sort."

Thranduil sent her a swift grin, he had changed within the blink of an eye from an enthusiastic almost boylike person to a stern and powerful leader. "Do you care to explain my lady?"

Shoroya sighed and shrugged. "Alright, but it is a somewhat disturbing story."

Thranduil sent her a hint of a grin. "I am used to disturbing stories."

She nodded. "I kind of guessed that yes. Alright, a long time ago there was this very primitive tribe alright? And they worshiped black panthers. They would sacrifice young maidens to the panthers and I guess there was some sort of magic involved for as the centuries passed the panthers and the humans sort of mixed and the result was a new tribe of skin changers."

The elf stared. "That should not have been possible?"

She made a grimace. "Of course not, but it happened still. And the tribe was very special, Rick here can change whenever he wants to, I cannot. The descendants of that tribe are few and we would be hated for several reasons if the humans knew of us. It is actually quite disgusting."

Thranduil frowned and sat down, his long hands played with a wine glass and Galion filled it with what had to be very dark red wine. "Disgusting?"

She nodded. "Yes, inbreeding. You see, if one of us have sex with someone not of our own race we turn to a panther and kill that person, then we take human form again. It is not something we can control. We have to take a human life before we can become a human again, it is just the way it is."

Thranduil did look shocked. "But your mate isn't of your people is he? Then how can you…hmm, live together?"

Rick sighed. "It is not easy but it can be done, back home people would probably call us serial killers, murderers. We have rules to live by and we follow them. When Shoroya needs to change to her panther form not to get ill we localize some scumbag and she kills him after we have…had some fun. It is the only way we can stay sane I guess."

The elves stared at her with a bit of worry and she rolled her eyes. "Listen you guys, we never kill anyone who doesn't deserve it okay? Yes it is murder but it is the price we pay for our marriage and our lives. "

Thranduil's eyes were a bit nervous yet. "So, who do you kill then, you mentioned scumbags?"

Rick shrugged. "Bad people, the last we took care off was a pedophile, a real asshole."

Thranduil cocked his head. "I am not familiar with that term?"

Shoroya sighed. "I guess not, it describes people who are sexually attracted to children and often but not always molest or even kill kids after having…had their way with them to put it nicely."

The king looked a bit green for a moment. "Are there really people like that were you are from?"

Rick sighed and nodded slowly. "Yes, the bastard we killed less than three days ago had raped a twelve year old girl and molested a ten year old boy too, both were completely traumatized afterwards."

She saw that the elf had problems even understanding this, his eyes told her of horror and disbelief and also a hint of fear. He had a young son and she had seen that kind of reaction before, in parents afraid that something would happen to their children.

"Then you are doing a good thing, removing such…filth… is not murder, is it a needed thing."

She could see that the king had understood something there and then and that it had shocked him to the core. Galion poured yet another glass of wine and he drank it, in one draught. "Your majesty, I can see that you are upset. We could perhaps offer some advice?"

Ricks voice was soft and filled with understanding and Thranduil made a gesture, the warriors left the room and so did most of the servants. He felt as though he could trust these people now, revealing such secrets wasn't something you did easily, he felt that there was a reason why they had been brought to this place. He could just hope that the truth would be revealed to him some day.

"Last summer a merchant came to us, from Dale, he was trading in spices and other things we cannot make here. He has been here before but he had never met…my son before."

The king stared straight ahead, caught by a memory which now had gotten a whole new meaning. "I did notice that the man tried to get close to my son rather often during his stay but I… I didn't expect that…"

There was something rather horrified in his gaze. "He told me he had lost a child some years ago, a boy with golden hair like my son's. I thought it was grief. They were never alone together and my son claimed that the man made him feel rather uncomfortable but I just believed that his behavior was dictated by sorrow. "

Rick sighed and made a nasty grimace. "It could be that you are right, but I am sorry to say that it is rather unrealistic."

Thranduil shook his head. "I have always known that humans find my people attractive, heck, I have had edain making a move on me more than once but I never thought that they would do such things to a child!"

Shoroya felt as though she was ruining the innocence of someone. "Now you know. I am sorry. How old is your son?"

Thranduil smiled gently, it was apparent that he loved his child dearly, she saw it in his eyes. "He is twenty, to you that is the equivalent of an eight year old."

Galion put the wine bottle away even though the king did send him a rather annoyed glance. "But you must be both hungry and tired, I will have the servants prepare a room for you, and perhaps a bath?"

Shoroya grinned. "That would be heavenly thank you."

A servant left the room in a hurry and the king sighed, he looked tired and they remembered that he was grieving his wife. There was an awkward silence for a while and he stared at the now empty glass of wine as if he was trying to refill it by his will alone.

"Your highness. Alatar told us of your loss, we are very sorry to hear about your wife, our condolences. Is it long ago that…?"

Thranduil closed his eyes for a moment, the expression on his face one of utter misery and agony. "Some months, just a moment for us, the blink of an eye and yet…yet an eternity."

Rick sighed. "Losing someone is terrible, not knowing what has happened is even worse."

Thranduil stared at him, his eyes glazed with grief and he looked so young and strong and yet there were eons of time in that iceblue gaze. "You have lost someone too. "

It was not a question, it was a statement and Rick nodded. "I have, a brother. He disappeared in the mountains and we suspect that an avalanche killed him but he was never found and we do not know what happened, and I guess we never will."

The elf nodded slowly. "We should have had eternity together, and I still feel her damn it, it is as if she still is here somewhere, out of my reach. I can feel it. If she had entered the halls I would have known."

He shook his head and Shoroya could almost sense an invisible presence in the room, as if someone was there and tried to make themselves noticed without being able to. "I am sorry to hear that, I hope that you do find some closure my lord."

Thranduil just shrugged and sat there, hunched forward and with dark shadows covering his face. Shoroya felt something akin to deep pity, he was a king, probably almighty in his realm but he could not bring back the one he loved, it was tragic in a heart wrenching way.

The servant returned and the grief stricken king just gestured, they followed the servant out of the rooms and left their things there. They would probably be brought to the room rather soon. Rick stared at her and she stared back. "Poor bastard, if I lost you I would go insane for sure, I cannot imagine how he must feel."

Shoroya nodded. "Neither can I love, neither can I"