A/N: Sorry about the long wait between updates. This chapter was difficult to write, and I am also looking for a beta, which is also taking time. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know.
"So what you are saying," said Aragorn, just to be certain, "is that Talumë- the future version of her-"
"-is dying," Mendesur finished for him.
"There is more at stake than your loss of existence."
"What do you mean?" asked Aragorn.
"If the Time Keeper of the current age dies," Mendesur explained," the whole of Middle-Earth will be sucked into the Void with her."
Aragorn closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Could their quest get any more complicated? He highly doubted it. He felt Arwen's hand slip into his own, and he opened his eyes. With quiet resolve, he asked, "How do we prevent this from happening?"
"That is complicated," Thelmo answered, with a sigh.
Aragorn forced his countenance to remain calm, even though he felt ready to scream. That was not what he wanted to hear. The way these Time Keepers complicated matters should not be allowed!
"How so?" asked Arwen, when it became apparent that Aragorn was not going to speak.
"Talumë is in the Void," Thelmo said, slowly, so as to allow his words to sink in, "suffering from whatever it was that Sauron did to her, or possibly what she did to herself to ensure passage into the Void. If it was the latter, we can be certain the situation in Middle-Earth is serious indeed.
"So long as she is in the Void, she will continue to suffer from what happened to her in the former reality from which you came, even if you do succeed in your quest. The Void is not affected by changes in the true world."
"How do we get her out of the Void?" asked Arwen.
"At the moment, it is impossible," Mendesur said. "According to your narrative, Sauron did succeed in molding history to his preference, which means that in this new reality, there is no need for Sauron to resort to time travel."
Thelmo jumped in. "This means that at the time and date Sauron disappeared into time in your former existence, Talumë will begin dying, shortly after which the world will start being slowly pulled into the Void. From there, it will eventually fade away."
Aragorn thought this over. In the Void, when he had learned what had happened to them, he had merely thought of their pending non-existence, and the fate of the still-existing world if Sauron kept the One Ring. This pending doom he had just heard of was deeper.
"What if we were to keep key points in history intact?" he asked.
"If you can back Sauron into a corner like you did in your former reality, there is a slim chance of preventing this catastrophe," Thelmo replied. "You must compel him to use the same option as last time; namely, Talumë."
"But if he attempts time-travel again we will be back where we are now!" Aragorn protested.
Thelmo shook his head. "We need him to open the Time Portal, else there will be no access to the Void," he said. "To travel through time you must first pass through the Void. When you open the Portal, you only need the Time Keeper and a clear image of your destination. If you enter the Time Portal without a clear destination you will automatically end up in the Void. Also, without the Time Keeper's consent, it takes considerably longer to reach your destination." He broke off with a frown. "Talumë sent you here for a reason," he murmurred.
Mendesur sent him a sharp look. "Do you think she had a plan?" he asked.
"She must have," Thelmo answered. "There is no other explanation. Whatever it was, she has left us to figure it out on our own." He glanced at his guests. "Time we have aplenty," he said. "You don't mind staying a few days, do you?"
"Of course not," Aragorn said in relief. It seemed they were to have some respite from the talk.
"Then why don't you all go outside with Ellira and Alvain?" Mendesur suggested.
At his words, Alvain jumped up, pulling Ellira out the door with him.
"WAIT!" Thelmo yelled. "Our guests did not even agree to go with you! It was merely a suggestion."
Sullenly, the two returned. "Grandfather, who in their right minds would want to stay inside?" Ellira grumbled, glaring pointedly at her guests. Clearly, physical harm would befall any who opted to stay inside.
"True, but is it not polite to at least wait for their answer before you take your leave?" Mendesur admonished.
"We would love to go outside," Arwen spoke up before a prolonged argument could ensue. Her companions enthusiastically added their agreement.
"Lovely!" The smile was back on Ellira's face. "Come, we are wasting time!" Then she was out the door again.
Alvain stood there with a frown on his face. "Strange choice of words," he said before dashing out after her.
Aragorn and company stood up, hard-pressed to keep up with the impatient pair.
"WAIT!"
Ellira turned and rolled her eyes, showing her exasperation with a huff.
"Watch out for the Willow-Witch," Thelmo implored.
"Is that all?" Ellira sighed impatiently.
"It is not a joking matter!" Thelmo snapped, his jade eyes boring into her identical pair.
"I heard you when you said it this morning!" Ellira protested. "Yes, we will be careful."
"Children," Thelmo muttered under his breath.
"I heard that!" Ellira called, but she was already skipping merrily on her way. She led the group through the Time Room and out the front door, where she stopped, waiting for everyone to assemble outside.
"Where are we going?" asked Alvain.
"My darling overprotective father and grandfather need time to talk about- to talk about-" Ellira frowned, searching for the right word.
"The future?" Legolas suggested helpfully.
"For lack of a better word," Ellira conceded. "They need time to talk, so we need to stay out of their way."
"The apple orchard?" Alvain suggested. "We did lose everything we gathered this morning."
"Yes, the apple orchard!" Ellira said enthusiastically. She paused. "Unless anyone objects?"
No objections were raised, so Ellira led the way. She led them quite some way along the river before guiding them across a bridge. "After gathering, we can have some lunch," said Ellira. "I know we just ate, but our breakfast discussion made me lose my appetite. Besides, you look underfed!" She prodded gently at Pippin. "How often do you eat?"
"As often as I can!" Pippin quipped. His companions laughed, being well aware of a hobbit's eating habits.
Ellira frowned and cocked her head. "What sort of creature are you anyway?" she asked. "I do not recall ever encountering your kind."
"Ellira!" Alvain hissed.
"It's fine. We call ourselves hobbits," said Merry.
"Hobbits," she echoed softly. "Interesting. I have never heard of them."
An awkward silence fell. Frodo broke it by asking, "So what about this Willow-Witch?"
"Do not worry," Ellira said cheerfully. "I am the only one she wants dead, so she won't bother you."
"That is nothing to worry about?" Aragorn said in disbelief.
"She hasn't succeeded yet," Ellira replied casually. "And I said you needn't worry."
"You shouldn't let your guard down!" Alvain snapped. "That's what she wants!"
Ellira rolled her eyes. "Here we are," she said. "And look! No one is here, as you can see for yourself."
Alvain sighed. "Elly, if our guests were not of the honorable kind, you would likely be dead by now," he reminded her. "I cannot allow that to happen again. We were lucky this morning."
"Is that what's eating at you?" Ellira asked. "It is in the past, Al. It cannot be changed, so it is no use dwelling on it now."
Alvain let the subject drop. They had arrived at the edge of a large grove of apple trees. Alvain frowned. "Where did all the willow trees come from?" he asked. "They weren't here this morning."
Ellira gazed at the willow trees spread evenly throughout the orchard. One large weeping willow in particular caught her eye and she stared at it in interest before saying, "This is a Time Dimension, Al. Things change daily." She turned to the others. "We should get started. When the baskets are full, whatever you pick is yours for lunch." She gestured at several large baskets lying about.
The hobbits eagerly claimed a tree with conveniently low branches. Elladan and Elrohir climbed a majestic tree that towered impressively over the other apple trees. Legolas chose a slightly smaller tree and tossed apple down to Gimli, who refused to climg a tree. Ellira stood in front of the giant weeping willow in awe, stroking one of its hanging branches, which were thicker than most willow trees displayed. She tore her gaze away and leaped nimbly into the tree that was occupied by the twins.
Alvain narrowed his eyes. "THERE ARE OTHER MEN HERE THAN MYSELF!" he thundered. "YOU CAN NOT JUST CLIMB THE TALLEST TREE DRESSED LIKE THAT!"
"I'M WEARING HUNTING LEATHERS UNDERNEATH!" she hollered back. "AND YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER!" She then addressed Elladan and Elrohir, but her voice carried over the wind. "He is stuffier than an old man, isn't he?" The three occupants of the tree laughed at Alvain's sputter of outrage.
Aragorn walked side by side under the trees, plucking the occasional apple from low-hanging branches. "Everyone seems relaxed," Aragorn commented.
"After recent events, a relaxing outing is what was needed," Arwen replied.
"I began to relax when I discovered time was frozen until we were ready for it to be otherwise," Aragorn admitted. "I doubt Sauron had this luxury when he travelled through time, which must give us a slight advantage."
"What do you think about our hosts?" asked Arwen.
"I think they are good people," Aragorn said thoughtfully. "It took some time to gain their trust, but now that we have it, I believe they will do all in their power to help us."
They watched for a moment as Ellira teasingly dangled a bright red apple just out of Alvain's reach. "It is difficult to believe Ellira and Talumë are one and the same," Aragorn remarked. "She acted differently in the Void."
"Talumë was a mature version of Ellira," Arwen reminded him. "Also, she has been living in a relatively care-free environment, barring this Willow-Witch."
"True," Aragorn conceded. He frowned at the tree Ellira and the twins were perched in. Was it his imagination or were those willow trees considerably closer to the great apple tree than earlier? He pushed the ridiculous thought from his mind and walked on, tugging a particularly large apple loose from a branch.
Alvain fell into step with Aragorn and Arwen, apparently having had enough of Ellira's teasing. "She is a handful!" he ranted.
Aragorn smiled in amusement. Yes, he was growing fond of their hosts. Ellira and Alvain in particular kept things lively. "She is headstrong, I will give her that," he said.
"When she is Time Keeper, I will not be able to protect her as effectively," Alvain murmurred. "I do not want her to learn the hard way that there are things more dangerous than the Willow-Witch." Suddenly he looked uncomfortable, as if he had disclosed too much information of a personal nature.
Changing the subject, Arwen asked, "Why is she called the Willow-Witch?"
"It is nothing more than a reference to her roots," Alvain answered. "Her mother was a tree spirit- to be more precise, the spirit of an ancient willow tree in Middle-Earth."
"Why is Ellira her target?" Aragorn questioned.
Alvain hesitated. "That is family business," he finally said tentatively. "It is their story to tell. Not a day goes by that the witch doesn't make some attempt on Ellira's life. Some are pathetic, but others are too close for comfort. She hasn't made any attempts today, so I have to keep a close eye out until she does."
Arwen decided to steer the conversation in a lighter direction. "You call this a Time Dimension. What is different about it, apart from the fact that time does not pass here?"
"Time does pass here," Alvain corrected her. "It does not pass in Middle-Earth unless the Time Keepers leave this dimension. Time dimensions do not follow the ordinary rules. Like the Void, they technically do not exist under ordinary circumstances.
"A time dimension operates on mind power. Anyone inside it can manipulate it. If you think something can or should happen, it usually will, unless there is conflict from others dwelling in the dimension with you."
Aragorn tried to understand but could not quite wrap his mind around the concept. "Please elaborate," he requested.
"Look around you," said Alvain. "This orchard was not here when the Time Keepers first arrived here, or so Elly tells me. According to her, this is an almost exact replica of an orchard near the village she grew up in before they escaped here. The only difference is that monstrous tree you see her in now. Before I was around to look after her, she needed a place to escape, and since the dwarves the witch commands cannot climb trees, this sprang to her mind. It has been her favorite tree ever since.
"Also look at the baskets. When we come here to gather apples, there are no more baskets than we need, and they are always the perfect size.
"The weather, also, is at our command- most of the time. The only drawback to being here is that we have an ongoing battle with the Willow-Witch to control it all."
Seeing their looks of disbelief, Alvain plucked an apple from a tree and tossed it to Arwen. "Think of the most unnatural color you believe of an apple," he instructed her. She did so, and to her astonishment the color of the apple changed from red to a pale blue.
"This is an ideal home you have found," Aragorn said, impressed.
"It is not home," Alvain corrected. "We never intended to stay this long."
By now, almost everyone had finished their gathering. The hobbits were settled at the base of their tree eating. Legolas and Gimli sidled up to join the four. Ellira and the twins still had half a basket to fill. It didn't look like it would be filled, judging by the way the three were tossing apples to one another, none of them catching any due to the tree branches moving at inconvenient times. The ground was littered by missed apples.
Alvain walked up to the base of the great tree and proceeded to filled it with the apples scattered all over the ground. "We could have done without your help," Ellira called down to him.
"Indeed?" Alvain retorted. "It looked to me as if you were fooling around. Or could it be that your aim truly is dreadful? I would have thought that with your companions being Elves that they, at least, would meet with some success." He ducked as a volley of apples rained down around him.
Legolas, Gimli, and the hobbits abandoned their spot in favor of investigating the commotion. Aragorn and Arwen stood back, watching in amusement.
"TRUCE!" Alvain yelled.
Abruptly the apples stopped falling. It was quiet, and Alvain peered tentatively up the tree. Immediately a stray apple hit him in the face.
"Lunch!" Ellira announced. "Let's go to the meadow."
"Whatever you wish," said Alvain, rubbing his forehead, turning to lead the way.
The twins leaped lightly to the ground, following the others.
"Alvain!" Ellira gasped. The panic in her voice cause the rest of the party to turn and stared in horror at the sight that met their eyes.
Yes, a cliffy, but I couldn't let the chapter go on any longer for reasons of my own. Finally some action! Review, yes? Is it good, is it awful, is it missing anything?