I just spent an hour and a half researching horse gaits, doing math, and poring over maps for you guys. I even had to un-bend my only bobby pin to create a makeshift compass, as well as tape two sheets of paper together for my timeline, so I could answer questions like, "If Elladan and Elrohir are 2,792 years old, how long ago did Gilraen die?" ...The answer is, of course, "Trick question: She doesn't die for another 66 years." Wut? At this point, any canon "mistakes" I make are willful ignorance.
The good news is, I officially have, crammed onto four pages of loose leaf, the completed plot outline of this story. For the first time in my life, I find myself with all the tools I need to be capable of completing a story within a reasonable time period. The bad news is, today is November 1st, which means NaNoWriMo. I'll endeavor to get another chapter up within a reasonable time frame. Feedback would help keep me on track, you know... :D
Avalon gathered Meredith in her arms, holding her tightly as tears ran down her cheeks. The younger girl was still asleep, and the men-Elves? Angels? Whatever-were watching with concern, speaking in very low tones to the woman-Angel?-who had been helping care for them.
Meredith stirred, bringing her hands up to rub at sleepy eyes.
"Avvie?" she asked in her small voice. Avalon quickly wiped her tears away and put on a bright smile for her little cousin.
"Her, Merri. How are you feeling?" she asked gently.
"My head hurts," Meredith pouted, clutching her head dramatically. Avalon wanted to laugh, but something brought her pause. People don't hurt in heaven. Do they?
"I'm sorry, hun," Avalon said, cradling the girl's head against her shoulder. "Let's see if we can't get some medicine, okay?"
"Can we just go home?" Meredith asked, looking around some more. Avalon felt a lump grow in her throat.
"No, sweetie, we can't," she said quietly.
"I wanna go home," Meredith said, pulling away from Avalon. She groaned, biting her lip.
"Meredith," she began, with a little bit of warning in her tone. This caught the attention of the elves-men-on the other side of the room. One of them came over. Avalon couldn't tell who. He said something, but stopped mid-sentence, pinching the bridge of his nose as he seemed to change tracts and lamented something out loud. Avalon could understand the sentiment-realizing suddenly that speech was of no use. He sighed, then held out a hand for Meredith, who looked up at him suspiciously.
He said something in a gentle, soothing tone. Meredith looked at Avalon.
"What's he saying?" she asked, frowning. Avalon tried to keep her own frown hidden.
"I don't know. We're really lost, and I don't know how to speak... ah... French. I think we're in Canada," she invented quickly.
"I don't wanna be in Canada!" Meredith protested.
"Neither do I, sweetie, but we can't do anything about it. The car is broken, and they don't have a phone here. We have to wait until we can get the car fixed," Avalon said, hating herself inwardly for the lies spilling easily from her lips. She thanked God that Meredith didn't seem to wonder how they had crossed the whole of Lake Huron to get to Canada.
The elf said something else gently, taking Meredith's hand on his own when she didn't reach for his. He pointed to the door. Meredith shook her head, pulling her hand from his and burying her face in Avalon's shoulder. The young woman sighed.
"I wish I knew what you were saying," she muttered, holding Meredith with an apologetic look towards the elf-man-in front of them. He nodded in understanding, then turned to say something to Aragarwen. She nodded, then left the room.
Elrohir wasn't quite sure about what his brother was telling him, but it seemed that the young woman was rather angry at seeing her disassembled attacker. He recalled the noxious fumes it emitted, and the fear in her eyes as they watched from the woods. Nevertheless, he and Elladan had instructed the elves working on the project to make as many notes as they could, then reassemble the monster.
He noticed the woman's daughter begin to stir, and after watching her get frustrated and angry-as children were wont to do-he thought that maybe getting her some fresh air would be good. There was a lovely garden outside of a nearby exit-one of the healer's gardens-which he thought might please the child with its flowers.
"Perhaps she would like to-" he paused, remembering that the young woman and her daughter spoke nothing of Sindarin. He frowned, massaging the small point of tension forming in his brow. "Right. Of course," he said with the smallest sigh. He knelt by the young girl, holding out a hand.
"Would you like to go on a walk?" he asked anyway, gesturing towards the door. She girl ignored him, complaining to Avalon, who seemed to try to comfort her. Elrohir took the girl's hand, but she pulled away and hid in her mother's hair. Avalon sighed and seemed to apologize. Elrohir shook his head and stood.
"Aragarwen, would you mind trying to locate a slateboard for us? And let Finwe know that we will need some more permanent guest quarters for the lady and her daughter." Aragarwen curtsied and left the room.
There was a brief silence as Elladan and Elrohir regarded each other, then the woman. She returned their gaze evenly, before saying something with a sigh, rolling her eyes. She stood up, hefting the weight of her daughter onto one hip. The girl was truly almost as big as she was, so it can't have been easy, but the child clung like a little squirrel to a branch. She began saying soothing things to the child, who eventually unwrapped her legs and stood on her own, although she stayed in Avalon's arms. She addressed them again, just a short phrase, though the weight of the world seemed contained therein.
Avalon sighed, staring at the elves-men, dammit-and gave a weary half-shrug.
"What now?" she asked softly. Within moments, there was a knock, and the door swung back open. Aragarwen returned, carrying a wooden-framed sheet of slate, and some little white sticks. Avalon gave a sigh of relief. Communication!
One of the twins took the slate and thanked Aragarwen, who said something else. He nodded, then regarded the slate. After a moment, he began marking on it. Avalon looked on curiously, and after a moment, he presented the front of the board to her. There were three figures in a room, one shorter than the other two. He had marked Avalon's curly hair, and his own long straight hair. An arrow pointed towards the three figures beside a set of stairs, then a third arrow indicated them surrounded by flowers, with a large round sun up above them.
Avalon could have laughed with relief.
"Come on, Merri, let's go look at their garden," she said, nodding to Elrohir. He smiled, then held out his arm to escort the young woman.
"I don't wanna," Meredith grumbled.
"We have to be polite," Avalon said. "These people are helping us," she added. Meredith allowed herself t be dragged along, and they indeed went up a flight of stairs to arrive at another open door. Avalon sucked in a breath at the view, and even Meredith stopped her grumbling for a moment as she looked around at the greenery, dotted with reds, yellows, purples and pinks. The garden was clearly organized, but it was overgrown and wild. A few women were here and there, gathering flower buds or leaves or roots. A stream ran down the mountain from behind them, splashing happily through one side of the garden, bridged by a few stepping stones.
Meredith watched the butterflies-larger and brighter than Avalon had ever seen before-flit from shrub to shrub, and left Avalon's side immediately to try and chase them. Avalon breathed a sigh of relief. Elrohir indicated a bench and said something. Avalon gathered the invitation to sit from his tone, and did so. He sat next to her and brushed the slate clean with his hands. She watched curiously as he began drawing some more. He started with top-view of the room they had been in, with its bed, vanity, and small desk. He then drew a box, with three adjacent boxes, and began filling in what seemed to be furniture. Avalon recognized a bed in each room, and what might have been a washroom or a toilet, plus a hearth (he drew a small fire by it), and long couches in the largest of the rooms.
A suite? she wondered. He drew an arrow from the small room to the larger suite, then indicated her and Meredith, who was balancing on the stones crossing the stream, and pointed to the arrow and larger suite.
"You're moving us?" she asked, frowning to herself. Perhaps it made sense. Were they in some sort of hospital wing? Did Heaven have hospitals? It was all terribly confusing, but she nodded. She held out her hand for the slate, and he gave it to her. She wiped it clean again, and drew her picture of the car.
"What about this? My car?" she asked. She didn't think she could let go of it. If this was heaven, no harm in having it. If it wasn't, she'd need it to get home. Elrohir nodded and said something. Avalon took for granted that he said they were putting it back together, and sighed. She looked back down at the slate, wiping it off again. She then drew a book, and a feather quill and a pot of ink. She didn't assume ballpoint pens would be available, but she pointed to the instruments, then herself, then made writing motions.
"Whatever is going on, I want to start a diary. And I'd like my camera back," she muttered as an afterthought. Elrohir nodded, somewhat surprised at her apparent literacy. He understood most human women didn't read or write. At least, not very many. Maybe if they could learn her language-it would likely be easier than her learning theirs-they could figure out where she came from, since it had become clear she was neither Gondorian nor Rohirric.
Avalon sighed, watching Meredith get carried away in the sunlight, envious of her ability to forget their situation when presented with such a lovely distraction as the garden.
