A Different Life

Glorfindel: sighs I am here again?

Elrond: looks at Glorfindel Where exactly is here?

Bliss: You're on the top of the page, duh!

Elrond: Who are you?

Bliss: I am Vanima Bliss, author of this story, Great Queen of the Blue Marsh!

Glorfindel: raises brow A queen? Why you look like a normal young mortal to me. Do you lie?

Elrond: whispers to Glorfindel She is far from normal if you ask me.

Bliss: Hey! I heard that! Now as a punishment for insulting a queen, you must do the disclaimer!

Elrond: I will do no such thing!

Bliss: holds up a pink frilly dress with flowers on it If you do not do it then I will voice your secret out to the public!

Elrond: Where did you find that?! I've been looking for that all over the place. looks at readers I mean what secret? There is no secret! But since you are a queen, I will do my respective duty to serve you. Vanima Bliss owns nothing but Renee, Lynn, Chandler, her mother, her father, her house, her educational facility, and the long list of things that are unfamiliar to LOTR.

Glorfindel: snickering in background I knew it…

dream

Chapter Four

The Bathroom

A few hours after the viewing of Rivendell from Renee's window, Renee had fallen asleep. Glorfindel watched her exhausted form lying on the bed and the peaceful look upon her face made him smile. This girl had only been with him for about four days and already he felt a connection between them. A bond. It wasn't a love bond that one would feel for the opposite sex, but a friendly bond. It was a nice thing for a person to have. He could tell that they would have a strong friendship in the future and for some reason, that amused him.

He was about to sit in his former seat; the chair beside the bed, until he felt a familiar presence nearby and it was growing closer. Quickly, he strode to the door and opened it to find Elrond standing in front of him with his fist raised. Elrond smiled at Glorfindel's speediness while lowering his hand and then glanced over his shoulder and into the room.

"Has she awoken?" Glorfindel nodded.

"Yes, but she had fallen asleep once more a few hours ago. She was very exhausted." Elrond nodded and sighed.

"I see. I was hoping that I would be able to share a few words with her. Maybe learn about her history or the extent of her knowledge. It has been puzzling me since our encounter the day before."

"Yes, I am curious about her as well. We had spoken earlier today, but she did not relay much. Though her disbelief in elves was quite amusing." Elrond frowned and subconsciously winced. His ear was still a bit sore from the tugging.

"So her disbelief in elves continues?" Glorfindel sighed.

"I am not sure if it is just the elves My Lord. To me, it sounds as if she is contemplating whether or not this whole thing is a dream of hers. She insists that she is imagining this world." Elrond furrowed his brows and averted his gaze to the floor. So many questions surrounded this girl that needed answering. Why does she think this is a dream? How did she come upon being on the borders of Rivendell without any food or water or even an escort? Where did she find such strange clothing? Was there an answer to her unusual behaviour?

The list trudged on and on and Elrond could do nothing but ponder over these questions. At least until Renee answered them, if she was willing. She was a peculiar child and her behaviour was most intriguing. She reminded him of Elladan and Elrohir when they were children. They had so much to learn about living and someday ruling in this land. And yet, he had much to learn about them and their beliefs and ideas as well. Confusing how things can go both ways, right?

Elrond sighed and returned his gaze to Glorfindel. He placed his hand on his shoulder and ushered him outside of the room. "Come, we shall speak of this matter over a delicious meal."

"But what abo-"Do not worry, she'll be fine by herself for a few hours. I will have a tray of food sent to her room for when she awakes. Now come. We have much to discuss." Glorfindel sighed and reluctantly complied. With one glance towards the bed, he closed the door and followed Elrond down the meandering hallways toward the kitchens.

The bright sun shined its light upon the land below and the great white clouds floated restlessly through the clear blue sky. The sound of flowing water from a sparkling spring chimed throughout the cool breeze and a beautiful melody filled the air. Renee listened to the bird's merrymaking and smiled in the warmth of the day. Mountains of distant laughter surrounded her and she could feel the joy in her heart begin to flourish. She joined in with the laughter and turned around to see hills and hills of colourful flowers protruding from the luscious green grass. Her mouth went agape and the fresh scent of blossoms pervaded her nostrils.

A wide grin spread across her face and she giggled with delight. But as soon as she giggled, her grin vanished and was replaced with a frown. She sounded so…childish. Her eyes lowered to her body and she saw a crème dress ripple in the harsh breeze and absolutely no bust underneath of this dress. How did she become flat? She looked down to the ground and found it to be quite closer to her face than usual as well. Did she shrink? Suddenly, a funny feeling overwhelmed her and all thoughts were lost to the earth below.

Renee skipped about the vast garden and picked a few flowers from the dirty soil. She brought them to her nose and smelled the radiant scent that emanated from the beautiful creation. Ah, she loved these flowers. She continued on her way, skipping and pulling flowers and subconsciously headed towards the distant laughter. It was growing closer with each step she took and the closer she came to the source of laughter, the more joy that seeped into her heart. She was just too happy to do anything else.

Soon, she had two handfuls of different coloured flowers and one hill left in front of her. Once she reached the peak of the hill, she would be able to join the laughing person and have her share of fun. A giggle escaped from her lips as she climbed the steep hill with much haste and she eyed the swaying green grass atop the hill. It seemed closer when she was at the base of the hill, yet the more she ran towards it, the farther it became.

After a ten-minute jog, Renee halted and caught her breath. This was not what she had expected. The peak looked closer now than it did at the base, but then again the base seemed closer than the peak of the hill. It was strange, but Renee paid no heed to the unusual contrast. The giggling and chuckling was growing louder now and she would not give up the chance for her playtime. They sounded like they were having fun. So she continued on and after another ten minutes she reached the top.

Her eyes searched the area in front of her and she saw nothing but green for miles. But then as her vision averted to the valley below, she saw it. It was a bright light, too bright to see what was giving off such light, but entrancing all together. Her body began floating towards the mysterious light and the feeling of warmth and love encircled her every being. Her mind relished in the comfortable emotions that ran through her body and she could do nothing but smile and watch. As she came but a few feet from the mysterious light, everything froze. Her mind reeled for a possible conclusion, but it wouldn't allow such thoughts to enter her mind. She was engulfed in everything she ever wanted and she wanted it to last.

Then out of nowhere, the light began moving towards her. Her eyes became wide and bright and the twinkle of the being in front of her reflected in her glassy orbs. Slowly, second by second the light dimmed and Renee finally saw a glimpse of what lay behind it. A beautiful woman. For some reason, this woman seemed familiar to her and her soft smile supported her instincts. She had to have known her from somewhere. Though Renee could not fully see her with the light as bright as it was, she still looked beautiful. Like an angel. No, more heavenly that. Suddenly, as she thought of a perfect being that could compare to this woman, a large flash of light engrossed her pupils and she squeezed her eyes in pain. A harsh wind blew against her body and she fell to the ground in a small heap. She rubbed her eyes to remove the little dots that remained there and then blinked to clear her vision.

As soon as she could see, her mouth opened in surprise and tears welled up in her eyes. It was dark, very dark but the faint image of her father and mother stood before her, grinning maniacally like they were happy to see her. Well, she was too. As she rose to her feet, she noticed that her appearance had changed once again. She was the same age she had always been, 16, and now she was wearing a normal pair of black sweats and a gray tank. She was normal again! The tears were now rolling freely down her cheeks and she sniffled. She flung her arms outwards and ran towards her parents, their happy smiles shifting to frowns the more she grew closer to them. But it didn't matter to her. As long as she could feel their warm embraces, it didn't matter at all.

As she reached them, her legs sprung and she jumped to them, only to have herself go right through them. She landed hard on the ground and furrowed her brows in confusion as she looked back at them, but they weren't there. Where did her parents go? She rose to her feet and slightly stumbled over to where they stood but only a few seconds ago. Absolutely nothing. Then suddenly, a cold breeze blew behind her and a low growl echoed in her ear. She whipped around in surprise and a shrill scream emitted from deep in her throat upon laying eyes on the hideous creature behind her. Its skin was dark and stained with what looked like blood and its bright golden eyes stared at her menacingly. Just looking at those deadly orbs made her skin crawl. Then as if in slow motion, the creature lifted an axe in its hand above its head. Renee froze in pure fear and could do nothing but scream and watch as the blade swiftly swung down towards her head.

Renee gasped and flew into an upright position. Her eyes darted around the surrounding area and she recognized the familiar room in which she subsided. A deep sigh escaped her lips and she brought her hand to rest upon her forehead. Her skin was hot and sticky and tiny beads of sweat rolled down the sides of her face. She rubbed at her eyes to improve her vision and she found them to be damp with fresh tears. Was she crying? She shook her head and pondered over the dream she had just imagined. Who was that glowing woman? Why was she a child, especially at an age that she could not remember? And what the hell was that ugly thing? That horrible creature scared her half to death! She had really thought she was going to die.

A sigh escaped her lips once more and she fell back onto her pillows. Then just as quickly as she laid down, she sat back up and clenched her teeth as she strained herself from doing something she did NOT want to do. Damn, she had to go pee. Her face scrunched up in anguish as she tried to hold her bladder and her head whipped this way and that, searching for Glorfindel or Elrond. The sun was slowly lowering into the horizon and shadows filled the room, making it harder for her to spot them. Where were those guys when you needed them?

She growled in frustration and continued looking for the two elves. Nope, no sign of them, but she did find something she needed very much. Food!! For a second, all thoughts of her full bladder left her mind and she concentrated on the delicious food spread out on a table next to her. And steam was still rising from it, meaning that it was delivered not too long ago! She licked her lips in anticipation and slid to the edge of the bed, slowly. The smell of the delicacy filled her senses and she could do nothing but drool as she eyed the heavenly food.

Mmm…potatoes and corn with a large serving of some kind of meat. And then there were vegetables and bread, lots and lots of bread. Paradise! Quickly she grabbed the fork that sat next to the plate and dug in, leaving no room for manners. Who needed them, she was starving. As she shoveled the food into her mouth, she felt the need for some kind of liquid to wash it all down and she found a pitcher of water sitting on another table next to her with a glass beside it. With a large grin, she poured herself some water and greedily drank it until it disappeared. Like before, paradise.

But then she decided that drinking water was a bad idea for her bladder was already too full to handle and she crossed her legs in an attempt to hold it in. She had to go…now! Slowly, she pushed her dinner table over and gave herself some room to touch the floor. She slid off of the bed and made an attempt to stand, but fell to her knees. Why was she so weak? Fevers never made her this weak. Maybe it was something that had happened to her during the journey to this world or something that had happened before she arrived here.

She shrugged the thought off and tried to stand but she became dizzy and stumbled and fell back to her knees. She sat there for a few seconds, trying to make the room stop spinning and after a couple of minutes, her vision returned to normal. Well, if she couldn't stand, then she would crawl. She lifted herself up onto her hands and knees and half crawled, half dragged herself over to the door as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast, and made her way to the entrance of the room. She used the door as a support and lifted herself up so she could turn the handle. Ah, victory! As the door creaked open, she popped her head out and saw a long hallway lit with burning lamps and open windows. The floor was of a light crème tile as well as the walls, though finely carved wooden designs clung to its plane.

Renee admired the beauty of the hall, but then realized she really had to go pee again, so she continued thinking about that. She called out to the darkness in hopes of finding someone and waited for a reply. She sighed in frustration as she was given no answer and she called out again, hope still burning within her.

"Excuse me! Is anybody here? I need assistance really, really badly!" She listened for any sign of movement and sighed as none came to earshot. Great, now what was she going to do? There was absolutely no way she was going to go in her nightgown. That was just gross. She clenched her teeth as the urge was becoming quite severe and she whimpered in pain. When you're sick and haven't gone to the bathroom in four to five days you'll understand the extreme pain.

Then suddenly she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw a dark figure approach her. Wow, she didn't even hear them…and she still can't! The person was growing nearer and she could do nothing but brace herself for an embarrassing conversation and the beauty of this likely elf.

Well, the person must had seen her lying on the ground and got worried for their leisurely walk turned into a quick sprint. Great, even more embarrassing. Then as they kneeled next to her, she could see they had the shape of a male. Shall I say more?

"Are you alright Arwenamin? (My Lady) I heard a call for assistance."

"Yeah. Can you please help me stand? I just arrived here with Glorfindel a little bit ago and I'm sort of sick and I don't know where I'm going. I need directions." Renee could not see him so clearly due to the lack of light, but she could tell that he smiled when she said Glorfindel. He probably knew him or something. He nodded in understanding and held out his hand to her. Renee graciously took it and she could feel the strength flow through his muscles as he hoisted her up.

But as soon as she was on her feet, dizziness overtook her and her knees buckled out from beneath her. She would've fallen if it were not for this unknown elf's arms around her and she felt him hold her close and support her body.

"Arwenamin? Arwenamin, are you alright?" Renee's head swirled as she looked out into the spinning hallway and she waited a few minutes for her dizziness to subside. Another bad side effect that she mostly hated about fevers; the nauseous feeling you get whenever you stand up. (I get them all the time. Hate em!) When her head stopped swimming, she looked up at the elf and smiled gratefully.

"I'm alright. Thanks. It's just that I haven't been out of bed yet since I've arrived here and I get quite dizzy. Sorry about that." The elf guy sighed in relief and smiled. Renee smiled back and wondered who was holding her. It was irritating that she did not know whom to thank for helping her.

"Well, you should not be out of bed then. Come, I will help you into your room."

"No! I mean no thank you. I'm actually out here for a reason. You see…well…I'm sorta in need for…a…" He raised his brow. "I need to use a bathroom really bad. Can you please show me where it is?" She smiled sheepishly as a light blush crept to her cheeks and she lowered her gaze from him, not wanting to see his expression. He was probably laughing at her in silence or maybe in the inside. Whatever he was doing, he was most likely thinking she was an idiotic little girl.

"Ah, I see." He smiled. "I believe one should be in your chambers, in a connecting room. That is at least how the other guest rooms in my father's house are." Renee blushed even more at her stupidity and almost slapped herself silly. It was right in her room and she could have refrained herself from making a big scene with this guy! Oh, she was going to embarrass herself big time while she was here!

Then the word 'father' entered her mind and she wondered who his father was. Maybe she had heard of him in the books or something. She smiled at his obvious certainty and chuckled at herself. At least she could shine some humour on the subject.

"I can't believe it. I am so ignorant. Thank you very much…?"

"Oh, I apologize for not introducing myself. I am Elladan, son of Elrond." He brought the back of her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it. She almost fainted. "And you are Lady Renee I presume?"

"Aha…" she replied dreamily. She couldn't believe that Elladan…THE twin Elladan was holding her and kissing her hand. Oh, she was in heaven. First Glorfindel and now Elladan. Oh, she was getting lucky all right. Elladan chuckled at her dazed state and adjusted her body so he was holding most of her weight.

"Mae govannen, Arwenamin." Renee's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she tried her hardest to understand what he had just said. When she was younger she had an interest in the Elvish language, but could not find an accurate source to learn from. Therefore, she could not understand anything except for the word 'mellon'. That was the easiest one out there!

"What did you say? I don't really know how to speak Elvish." Elladan chuckled.

"I said 'well met, My Lady'. It is Sindarin."

"Ohh…cool. I need to learn how to speak Sindarin. It sounds like a beautiful language." He nodded.

"It is. If you'd wish to learn, I'd be more than happy to teach it to you. It is not too difficult." Renee's eyes widened and she nodded her head vigorously. Score! She just got the best teacher for the most magnificent language she had ever heard. She couldn't wait until they started!

"Yes! I would love that." They just stood there smiling in silence, until the sign that her bladder was about to explode turned her from her thoughts. "Ok, could we get to that bathroom now?" Elladan laughed and nodded. He helped her into her room and towards a door that stood next to her bed, opposite from the windows. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it since the time she's been here. It was almost like it had magically appeared. Strange.

Elladan removed one of his arms from her waist and turned the handle and pushed open the door. The room was dim, lit with two or three lamps and one large window and almost immediately the faint smells of scented oils, urine, and god knows what filled her nostrils. She grimaced as she realized this was not the 21st Century anymore and they probably still used something that resembled an outhouse. Gross. At least they attempted to make it smell better with those oils. They actually smelled good. She forced a smile on her face, happy that she was finally able to relieve herself, but also for Elladan's sake. She didn't want to seem like she was too spoiled or good for this. It was just different from where she came from. Way different.

"Thank you. I'll manage from here." Elladan nodded and slowly released her, making sure to keep his arms close in case she fell. Renee stood on her wobbly legs and held the wall for support. She stood still for a few seconds, keeping her balance and then knew she'd be all right for a few minutes. Quickly, she ushered Elladan out and closed the door behind him. His voice sounded through the door then, saying that he would wait for her to finish and she replied with a casual 'ok'.

Her body slowly turned around so she was facing the room and she eyed the space carefully. The bathroom was much like her room outside, the only difference was the raised hole in what looked like an enclosed granite table that was to resemble a toilet, a basin of hopefully water and a bar of soap atop a wooden table, and a large tub. She sighed and prepared herself for a moment that she would remember for the rest of her life. The first time use of an old fashioned latrine like bathroom and using leaves to wipe herself. Oh, dandy.

She slowly stumbled over to the toilet using the wall for support. Her legs were still weak and she had almost accidentally tripped over her own two feet. Clumsy. As she reached the toilet, she held her breath and forgot about what she was actually going to use to urinate. Yuck, gross. Quickly she squatted and relieved herself, sighing in relief as the pain subsided. How wonderful it felt to go pee again! As she finished up, she glanced beside her and saw a stack of green leaves sitting atop the stone. She couldn't believe she had to use that for toilet paper! She picked up a few leaves and uh…did her duty. You know.

When she was done she stood slowly as not to provoke dizziness again. It still came, but not as fast or intense like before. It was a mild feeling of nausea. Anyways, she made her way over to the basin and grabbed the soap that lay next to it on the table. It smelled like the oiled scent in the room. Perfect. She scrubbed away at her hands as well as her face and armpits. She didn't want to smell too bad now did she? Her hands then dove into the basin and she washed them followed by hauling a handful of water onto her face. The water was not cold nor hot, but warm. It was just right. She washed herself up and found a type of cloth to dry herself with. A smile rose to her lips as she felt a little bit more refreshed, but nothing could feel better than a long warm soak in a hot bath. Now that would be wonderful. Maybe she could ask Glorfindel or Elladan if she could have one. She needed it. Her hair was greasy and sticky, not to mention totally frizzing and her skin was blotchy and sweaty. It was repulsive.

She sighed and turned towards the door. Time to meet up with Elladan again. She treaded over to the door and turned the handle, entering her fresh scented room once more. Ah, air! Her eyes scanned the area as she searched for the Lord's son and she found him to be over by her windows, gazing up at the stars. She had the perfect view of his face now and damn, he was hot! His chocolate locks were of medium length, unusual for an elf, and his eyes were the reflection of a midsummer star. Bright, yet dark and deep; full of emotion and longing. He must have been one of the elves that longed for the sea. Maybe, she wasn't sure. It had been years since she had last recalled the story.

He looked absolutely ravishing in the starlight. A true angel sent from heaven, with no wings of course. She wondered if all elves looked this way or just the superior ones. It was another mystery for her to solve. How interesting. As she made to move over towards him, she caught sight of his eyes on her and the slight trace of a smile on his lips. Oh yeah, this was heaven all right.

"You are finished I see. Here, let me assist you on sitting down." Renee smiled and nodded. She could do it herself, but who would give up the chance to have a hot Elf Lord actually touch them? Someone who obviously deserved less. Elladan walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, supporting her. Together they made their way over to the bed and Elladan lifted Renee up atop the silken sheets. She thanked him and he nodded while bringing over a chair to sit on.

"Oh, I didn't know you were going to stay." He halted.

"If you do not wish for me to stay, I-"No, no, no…I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry, that sounded so rude. Go on, please sit. Make yourself comfortable. I only meant that you being Elrond's son and all, I thought you'd have work to attend to or something. It only surprised me."

"I see." He sat down in his chair and smiled at Renee's flushed face. She looked so young and innocent when she acted like this. It made him want to be young again as well. "Well I do have work that needs taking care of, but I can finish it later tonight or tomorrow. It's not much."

"Oh." She glanced around as her voice seemed to echo throughout the room and she bit her lip in an attempt to deal with the eerie silence. What was the point of sitting there and doing nothing if you had work to do? She had to think of a conversation starter, she was good at them.

"You have a twin brother right?" Elladan's brows furrowed and he looked at her skeptically.

"How do you know of my brother? You said that you had never left this room before." Renee mentally slapped herself for her mistake. Great conversation starter. She couldn't really tell him that she had read about him and his brother in a book, not to mention a very important and perilous journey that takes place in…umm…what year was it? Ohh…another mystery for her to solve. Anyways, since the truth sounded kind of crazy, there was only one option left. She'd have to stick with lying, especially if she wanted to remain sane in other people's eyes. Of course, lying was hard to deal with, especially for her. Usually she'd end up laughing or overdoing it. She'd have to make it sound just right. And she knew exactly what to tell him.

"Well, your father had told me when he came in here to see me. I asked him if he had any children and he spoke of Arwen, Elrohir, and you. I did say their names correctly, right?" He nodded and loosened himself up. He had tensed up by her miraculous sense of knowledge. His father had not told him about this part of their conversation. Well, it wasn't that important, he probably just left it out.

"Yes, I have a twin brother and a younger sister. In Sindarin they are cal." Suddenly a knock on the door stopped him mid-sentence and he smiled at Renee with an expectant look. "Come in."

A/N: Oooo…I wonder who's at the door! Sorry to leave this at a cliffie, well if you'd like to call it a cliffie, but this chapter was just getting too long. 11 pages in Microsoft Word! Hope you're all happy. Anyways, as you all probably know now, I like to write in detail so expect this story to be long and full of mysteries…like what year it was, or if superior elves really look hotter than normal ones. Who knows?? Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I sure did. So please review and tell me what you thought. Diolla lle! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!