Chapter Four - Revelations
Riley had somehow found her way back to the meeting room without any directions. She was no longer hungry. Who knew that Elves could cook, much less make a gourmet meal in twenty minutes? She had also been informed that it was about one o'clock in the afternoon.
Voices could be heard coming from inside the meeting room, and Riley walked quietly to the door to make sure that she was not interrupting something important by knocking.
Gandalf was speaking at the moment. "Do you really think that it is that obvious? She healed quickly and has much grace, yes. But is she that close?"
"Galadriel gave me a detailed description of what she saw in the mirror. A young girl who is of the race and a world of men, yet her actions would be Elvin-like. And the one thing that I think makes it clear that it is her is her eyes. They hold all the stars, as Galadriel said the Elfin Child would. I am sure of it. Riley is the Elfin Child." Riley gaped at Elrond's revelation.
"Oh great, now I'm eavesdropping (I ain't been dropping no eaves, sir, honest) on Elves!" Riley chuckled silently as her own thoughts brought up the look on Sam's face when he had defended himself against Gandalf's accusations.
Riley quickly knocked on the door before she made enough noise to get caught. The voices stopped immediately and Aragorn opened the door.
He smiled and teased, "You found your way back alone now, did you?"
Riley laughed. "Yup! Aren't I smart?" She felt as thought she swept into the room, her spirits were so high. The people in the room took their seats once more, and Riley suddenly felt her light mood begin to dim. She fully felt the pressure to tell all she knew engulf her.
Perhaps Legolas could see her dilemma. "Riley, you do not have to tell us what you feel you should not. But we ask that you answer honestly."
"I would never lie to you," Riley insisted. "We had never met, but I have always considered you my best friends. I know that's a little weird, I mean strange, but I was never able to really connect with anyone from home."
"What is your home called?" Gandalf asked.
Riley thought about how to answer. "I live in Rolling Crest, Washington. That is in the country the United States of North America, and that is on the planet Earth."
"Where is Middle-Earth?"
Riley had to keep herself from groaning that she had already told them this. "Middle-Earth does not exist to the other people in my world. It is a fictional place from well-known story."
"Forgive us for this, Riley, but you must admit that from what we've see so far, you could have put together a story of your own so that you could gain our trust," Elrond said, and Riley hoped that he wasn't about to ask the impossible of her. "Is there any way, in the form of an object, that you can prove what you say? Is there something in your box that your world has and we do not?"
For a second, Riley panicked. Then she remembered two things. "Well, I don't know about my camera, but we could try it." She stood up and reached over and stood Legolas up with her. "Come on. Now, Elrond, if you would be so kind." After Riley had them all lined up, she began to explain while she set up her camera on the table. "Okay, now this little red light is going to flash right before a really bright light blinks at you, okay? If you want, you can smile or something, but you don't have to."
Riley set the timer on her camera then ran back to stand in the middle of the others. She smiled excitedly as the flash went off. Then she turned to look at her "friends". The Elves were closing their eyes with a pained expression on their faces, and Aragorn and Gandalf were frowning and blinking.
"Sorry about that. I also have my CD player. It isn't painful at all!" She grabbed her CD player and turned the volume up as high as it would go, then pressed the play button. "May It Be" by Enya came through the headphones loud enough to be able to be heard clearly.
Legolas looked at Riley in amazement. "It is you."
Hoping for an explanation of the "Elfin Child", Riley asked, "What's me?" She shut of the CD player and set it down on the table.
"You are from a different world," Legolas answered smoothly, hiding the fact that he was lying so well, that Riley would have given herself away again if she had pressed further.
"Oh. Yup, glad you agree with me."
Elrond nodded. "I expect there is little else that you may tell us about your world without endangering yourself. Legolas will take you to your room, however, you are welcome to move about as you wish. And since you have nowhere else to go, you may stay in Rivendell as long as you wish. Now, if you will excuse me, my daughter arrives from Lorien today. Welcome, Riley."
"Thank you, Lord Elrond." Riley turned to Legolas expectantly after saying good-bye to Aragorn and Gandalf. They both bid her welcome and then departed, Aragorn mentioning something about walking in the gardens.
Legolas led her from the room. As they walked down a hall, he turned to her with a strange look on his face. "You walk silently," he observed.
Riley looked down at her feet. "Uh. okay. I never noticed that before. guess I've always done it." She shrugged and continued walking. A minute later, she heard the quiet sound of water running over rocks. "Do you hear that?" she asked, pausing.
"I heart nothing that you should be able to hear, for you are human. It is quiet at that level."
Riley gave him a withering look before racing down a hall to her left. She was surprised to find that her dress moved with her, instead of slowing her gait.
After only a few seconds of running, Riley burst out onto an outdoor walkway. Veering off it, she flew through the forest until she reached a small river. There were people on the bridge upstream, so Riley threw herself on the ground behind a clump of bushes, pulling Legolas, who had followed her, with her.
Riley peeked out from behind the bushes and realized that the people on the bridge were Aragorn and Arwen, Elrond's daughter. Riley strained to hear what they were saying.
Aragorn was speaking. ". though I have dwelt in this house from childhood, I had heard no word of you save today, when your father mentioned that you were returning for a visit. How comes it that we have never met before? Surely your father."
"We should not be witness to this," Legolas whispered in Riley's ear. She shivered at his closeness.
"Stupid Elf perfectness," Riley thought. Then she answered, "I've already read about it, and I want to see it happen. Besides, we're not in the way." She turned back to listen.
Arwen was studying Aragorn, and then she spoke slowly. "Do not wonder! For the children of Elrond have the life of the Eldar."
Riley whispered, "Yet from that hour he loved Arwen Undomiel daughter of Elrond," before getting up and creeping away.
Riley had somehow found her way back to the meeting room without any directions. She was no longer hungry. Who knew that Elves could cook, much less make a gourmet meal in twenty minutes? She had also been informed that it was about one o'clock in the afternoon.
Voices could be heard coming from inside the meeting room, and Riley walked quietly to the door to make sure that she was not interrupting something important by knocking.
Gandalf was speaking at the moment. "Do you really think that it is that obvious? She healed quickly and has much grace, yes. But is she that close?"
"Galadriel gave me a detailed description of what she saw in the mirror. A young girl who is of the race and a world of men, yet her actions would be Elvin-like. And the one thing that I think makes it clear that it is her is her eyes. They hold all the stars, as Galadriel said the Elfin Child would. I am sure of it. Riley is the Elfin Child." Riley gaped at Elrond's revelation.
"Oh great, now I'm eavesdropping (I ain't been dropping no eaves, sir, honest) on Elves!" Riley chuckled silently as her own thoughts brought up the look on Sam's face when he had defended himself against Gandalf's accusations.
Riley quickly knocked on the door before she made enough noise to get caught. The voices stopped immediately and Aragorn opened the door.
He smiled and teased, "You found your way back alone now, did you?"
Riley laughed. "Yup! Aren't I smart?" She felt as thought she swept into the room, her spirits were so high. The people in the room took their seats once more, and Riley suddenly felt her light mood begin to dim. She fully felt the pressure to tell all she knew engulf her.
Perhaps Legolas could see her dilemma. "Riley, you do not have to tell us what you feel you should not. But we ask that you answer honestly."
"I would never lie to you," Riley insisted. "We had never met, but I have always considered you my best friends. I know that's a little weird, I mean strange, but I was never able to really connect with anyone from home."
"What is your home called?" Gandalf asked.
Riley thought about how to answer. "I live in Rolling Crest, Washington. That is in the country the United States of North America, and that is on the planet Earth."
"Where is Middle-Earth?"
Riley had to keep herself from groaning that she had already told them this. "Middle-Earth does not exist to the other people in my world. It is a fictional place from well-known story."
"Forgive us for this, Riley, but you must admit that from what we've see so far, you could have put together a story of your own so that you could gain our trust," Elrond said, and Riley hoped that he wasn't about to ask the impossible of her. "Is there any way, in the form of an object, that you can prove what you say? Is there something in your box that your world has and we do not?"
For a second, Riley panicked. Then she remembered two things. "Well, I don't know about my camera, but we could try it." She stood up and reached over and stood Legolas up with her. "Come on. Now, Elrond, if you would be so kind." After Riley had them all lined up, she began to explain while she set up her camera on the table. "Okay, now this little red light is going to flash right before a really bright light blinks at you, okay? If you want, you can smile or something, but you don't have to."
Riley set the timer on her camera then ran back to stand in the middle of the others. She smiled excitedly as the flash went off. Then she turned to look at her "friends". The Elves were closing their eyes with a pained expression on their faces, and Aragorn and Gandalf were frowning and blinking.
"Sorry about that. I also have my CD player. It isn't painful at all!" She grabbed her CD player and turned the volume up as high as it would go, then pressed the play button. "May It Be" by Enya came through the headphones loud enough to be able to be heard clearly.
Legolas looked at Riley in amazement. "It is you."
Hoping for an explanation of the "Elfin Child", Riley asked, "What's me?" She shut of the CD player and set it down on the table.
"You are from a different world," Legolas answered smoothly, hiding the fact that he was lying so well, that Riley would have given herself away again if she had pressed further.
"Oh. Yup, glad you agree with me."
Elrond nodded. "I expect there is little else that you may tell us about your world without endangering yourself. Legolas will take you to your room, however, you are welcome to move about as you wish. And since you have nowhere else to go, you may stay in Rivendell as long as you wish. Now, if you will excuse me, my daughter arrives from Lorien today. Welcome, Riley."
"Thank you, Lord Elrond." Riley turned to Legolas expectantly after saying good-bye to Aragorn and Gandalf. They both bid her welcome and then departed, Aragorn mentioning something about walking in the gardens.
Legolas led her from the room. As they walked down a hall, he turned to her with a strange look on his face. "You walk silently," he observed.
Riley looked down at her feet. "Uh. okay. I never noticed that before. guess I've always done it." She shrugged and continued walking. A minute later, she heard the quiet sound of water running over rocks. "Do you hear that?" she asked, pausing.
"I heart nothing that you should be able to hear, for you are human. It is quiet at that level."
Riley gave him a withering look before racing down a hall to her left. She was surprised to find that her dress moved with her, instead of slowing her gait.
After only a few seconds of running, Riley burst out onto an outdoor walkway. Veering off it, she flew through the forest until she reached a small river. There were people on the bridge upstream, so Riley threw herself on the ground behind a clump of bushes, pulling Legolas, who had followed her, with her.
Riley peeked out from behind the bushes and realized that the people on the bridge were Aragorn and Arwen, Elrond's daughter. Riley strained to hear what they were saying.
Aragorn was speaking. ". though I have dwelt in this house from childhood, I had heard no word of you save today, when your father mentioned that you were returning for a visit. How comes it that we have never met before? Surely your father."
"We should not be witness to this," Legolas whispered in Riley's ear. She shivered at his closeness.
"Stupid Elf perfectness," Riley thought. Then she answered, "I've already read about it, and I want to see it happen. Besides, we're not in the way." She turned back to listen.
Arwen was studying Aragorn, and then she spoke slowly. "Do not wonder! For the children of Elrond have the life of the Eldar."
Riley whispered, "Yet from that hour he loved Arwen Undomiel daughter of Elrond," before getting up and creeping away.