Author's Note: I hope everyone had safe and happy holidays, and hope everyone HAS a safe and happy New Years. Good news! I got a laptop for Christmas, so now I can write anywhere!!! Yay! Now on to the story!
By the time I actually FOUND the library (not nearly as easy as it looks. Rivendell is a freaking labyrinth) I had given myself a headache.
But it wasn't from stressing about Gandalf and Elrond.
I wasn't actually all that scared of what Gandalf and Elrond would say.
That wasn't what I was worried about.
I was worried about why I was here.
If they were truly wise, they wouldn't want me to change history.
But if I wasn't supposed to change history, then why was I here?
And if I was supposed to change history, wouldn't that change the world I'd grown up in?
And if I changed the world I was from, then what would happen if I inadvertently prevented one of my ancestors from being born? Then I wouldn't be born.
But if I wasn't born, then I couldn't change history to prevent myself from being born.
If I remembered correctly, the theory I was stressing over was called the Grandfather Paradox.
Stupid Grandfather Paradox.
Yeah, now you know why I had a headache.
I need to stop thinking. Good things don't happen when I think too hard.
Sighing and rubbing the bridge of my nose tiredly, I pushed open the door to the immense library.
Normally (being a geek and a notorious book-worm) I would have promptly started to drool over the sheer amount of books the elves had accumulated.
As it was, I simply wanted some Advil and to punch something a little out of frustration.
Unfortunately, I didn't get either as I soon spotted Elrond and Gandalf in quiet conversation at a small table.
I walked over to the table (and, for once, actually stayed on my feet the entire time).
"Lord Elrond, Master Gandalf," I said by way of greeting. They stood and bowed respectfully.
A look from Gandalf and I realized I was supposed to do something.
Awkwardly, I executed some sort of...i don't even think there's a word for it.
It shamed the word "curtsey."
Elrond held out my chair and waited until I was seated before they took their own seats.
"Ah, this is the Lady Rose I have heard so much of from Aragorn and the hobbits," Gandalf said with a warm grin.
"And you must be Gandalf," I said, returning the grin with my friendliest smile (gimme a break: I didn't think it could hurt to get him to like me) though I knew exactly who he was. "The hobbits speak highly of you, especially of your fireworks. I admit that I was slightly nervous about meeting someone who was held in such high regard."
Gandalf laughed and patted my hand, though his eyes were keen and scrutinizing as they surveyed me. Something about him made me feel like he was listening to more than my words.
Which is a creepy feeling, I assure you.
Warily, I dragged my eyes slowly from the wizard, and turned to Elrond.
"Now, let's get down to business. I don't like to dance around an issue, and I highly doubt you called me here to chat. You said that Aragorn had spoken with you; what did he say," I said, my (admittedly) take-charge personality coming to the front, something that always happened when I was feeling threatened.
I don't care what anyone says: No one is comfortable when they feel like they aren't able to keep things to themselves.
And it felt like Gandalf could see all my secrets.
Elrond nodded, only the arched eyebrow betraying his surprise that a woman, a young mortal woman at that, had taken charge of the situation.
"He told me of the 'dream' the two of you shared, as well as your sudden appearance here." Elrond paused and looked me dead in the eye, his wise and knowing gaze piercing me. "He also spoke of the foresight you say you possess."
I met his gaze levelly and without fear; I had done nothing wrong, ergo, I had nothing to be afraid of.
"I wouldn't jump straight to foresight. My knowledge comes from fantasy books written by a man named J.R.R. Tolkien. At least, we thought they were fantasy. Obviously, I've been proven wrong," I said gesturing around me. "He wrote about a lot of things concerning Middle Earth, but I am most familiar with the past, present, and future of the One Ring and the events surrounding it."
"How much do you know about it," Gandalf asked, leaning forward.
My mental hackles went up when I realized he was trying to intimidate me.
I'd grown up as the only girl in a family with 4 older alpha-male brothers (apparently, I was the only one not COOL enough or something for the height gene).
He'd have to do better than that.
I calmly looked him dead in the eye. "When it comes to the Ring's past, I can tell you almost as much as Saruman. When it comes to the Ring's present, you and I are even. But when it comes to the Ring's future, my knowledge is unparalleled." I leaned forward, meeting his gaze levelly. "So don't try to intimidate me. I may be young and naive, but I am no fool. I'm from the future; I know EXACTLY what will happen."
Alright, I admit, I can be a little defensive at times.
Elrond sent Gandalf a look that clearly said 'stop pissing off the mortal.'
"Mithrandir meant no offense, child. He has a somewhat suspicious nature, and can get hot-tempered easily. For now, we have other matters that need to be addressed."
Simultaneously, still keeping our eyes locked, Gandalf and I slowly leaned back in our chairs.
Sadly, it was Gandalf who took the higher road and broke our little moment o' immaturity.
"We are acting like children," he sighed. "I apologize, Lady Rose. It was merely my intention to judge your truthfulness and protect those I love, not to intimidate you."
Knowing that I had to take the high road (albeit grudgingly), I nodded. "I'm sorry too. I was too quick to take offense. I should have seen that you were merely trying to protect everyone."
"How far in the future are you from," Gandalf asked.
"I do not know. Everyone thought this," I absent-mindedly gestured around me, keeping my gaze on his, "wasn't real. And, as you measure time differently than we do, I have no idea when these events are in the history we learned in school."
"Perhaps, if we work together," Elrond hinted oh-so-subtly, "we can figure out the time difference."
"When I left, it was 2006."
Gandalf's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
In that second, as I wished desperately for a camera, I truly realized for the first time exactly what "a Kodak moment" really was.
I pretended to cough in order to cover up a laugh.
"What year is it in this world," I asked, doing my damndest not to laugh.
"The year is 3018, which would put you behind us," Elrond said calmly, leaning back in his chair.
I cocked my head to the side as a thought occurred to me.
"No," I said slowly, thinking out loud. "After the birth of Jesus Christ, we started counting again. After that, we numbered backwards the years before His birth. So, if we say that Queen Cleopatra reigned in 69-30 B.C., then this would also count as B.C. You'd only need to add." I did rapid calculations in my head. "5024. Check my math."
There was a pause, then Elrond said "that is correct."
"So, theoretically, there is only 5024 years between us." I frowned. "That can't be right. That puts us at the same time as the Iceman and the first civilizations."
"The Iceman," Elrond asked.
I gestured absentmindedly, caught up in my own thoughts. "A few years ago, they discovered a man frozen in ice and calculated that he'd been dead for over 5,000 years. It was the end of the last Ice Age. There were no true civilizations: people were only just beginning to live in villages together."
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to get rid of my headache, which had gone from mild to bad.
I hate thinking.
"The exact number of years isn't important," Gandalf said dismissively. "I doubt it is even possible to calculate, as I'm sure we have vastly different calendars."
"True. What IS important is how I got here, why, and what I'm supposed to do now," I said.
"Indeed. Tell us what you remember of your journey," Elrond said.
I frowned and shivered as I remembered the accident that never took place.
"There was no journey. One moment I was on my way home, a drunk driver swerved into my lane, but before we could crash, I blinked and I was in this dream world. Or, at least, I assume it was a dream world. I was standing on a cliff face, the stormy ocean before me, and mountains to my back. I met Aragorn there, and we bickered about who had brought whom to the dreamscape. Then there was an earthquake, and I grabbed him. We fell back, but didn't land on the ground of the cliff. He woke up in his bed where he'd been asleep, but I woke up on the floor of a room I'd only seen in movies."
"Movies?"
I didn't know who'd spoken as wrapped up as I was in memory.
"Animated pictures. They tell stories, and one of them portrayed the War of the Ring. It's one of the ways I recognize many of the people I meet."
I yanked myself out of the memory of seeing that huge Semi swerve into my lane and realizing that I was going to die.
That I would never see my mother, father, or over-protective older brothers again.
I took a gasping breath and closed my eyes, clenching my teeth and steeling my resolve.
I never cried in front of people, and I certainly wasn't about to start now.
Straightening my back, I opened my eyes and clasped my hands on the table in front of my.
I'd have time to mourn when I got back to my room.
"After that, I met the hobbits. I've tried to keep things as they are supposed to be, but I had to save Frodo from the Ring-wraith. He didn't deserve that, or the crap that would have happened to him later." I brought my chin up at Elrond's disapproving frown. "I'd do it again if I had to."
Gandalf sent Elrond a warning look and patted my hand. "We do not think you used anything but your best judgment on the matter, my dear."
Elrond nodded, his frown softening into a kind smile. "Indeed, you have our faith."
"How did I get here," I asked suddenly, trying to change the subject. "Theoretically, it's impossible to Time Travel. The Grandfather Paradox proves that."
"The Grandfather Paradox," Gandalf asked with a frown.
"It's the unanswerable question." I leaned back in my chair again, gesturing lazily with my hands. What can I say? I talk with my hands. "Suppose you went back in time and killed your grandfather. Well, if your grandfather dies, then you'd never be born. But if you weren't born, how could you go back in time and kill your grandfather? See?"
They nodded, both frowning.
"I have no answer to that, child. I do not believe anyone does. The only question we can answer is what to do now," Elrond said, his voice and wise eyes reassuringly warm and kind.
I admit, even though I'd always been one to take charge when needed, it was reassuring to have someone else take the reigns.
"You will come to the Council to be held tomorrow. All races will be represented there, and I believe it is only fitting that one from the future should have their say. If anyone asks how you possess your knowledge, merely say that you are a Seer. It will tie up any questions."
I grimaced even as I nodded.
Yay, I was becoming the Mary-Sue.
Maybe I could go die my hair blond and grow a bra size over night.
At least the men in this time were all Chauvinists, so I wouldn't have to worry about going on the Quest.
After all, there wasn't a whole lot I could change, I had no fighting skills (or skills of any kind, for that matter) and my beauty and grace (or the noted lack thereof) wouldn't do a whole hell of a lot in battle.
Plus, I'd never been a big fan of camping. I was my mother's daughter for a reason, and our definition of "roughing it" was an extension-cord for the hair dryer, as my mom put it.
I had no camping skills to speak of.
At that, a quote from Napolean Dynamite (as a noted nerd, it was my favorite movie) came unbidden to my head: "You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills... Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills."
Gandalf looked at me oddly as I burst into laughter.
"Sorry," I apologized, blushing slightly even as I giggled.
Clearing my throat and stifling further snickers, I stood.
"May I go to my room now?"
"Yes. Will you be at the feast tonight," Elrond inquired.
I shrugged. "Probably. I'll see you there. Later," I said, giving another 'curtsey' (in the most liberal definition of the word) before I turned and left.
Yay! I didn't trip.
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I've made up my mind.
I love dwarves.
Forget the elves. Most of them are too prissy by half anyway.
Dwarves, however, are awesome.
Seriously, I can't believe John Rhys-Davies didn't have fan girls running around after him.
Having personally met Gimli, his father, and their advisors and friends, I've decided that Gimli is ten times better than Legolas.
They're ten times more sarcastic and funnier, and they know EXACTLY how to tell stories that will have you clutching your sides in laughter.
Not to mention the coolest insults and curses.
When was the last time YOU called someone a "son of an elf-licking balrog."
Seriously, you can't come UP with better stuff than this!
Gimli and the other dwarves are teaching me dwarvish.
Let's just say that I now know what Gimli told Haldir in Lorien, "Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul," means.
And I'm going to use it as often as I possibly can now. I'll FIND ways to work it into conversations.
Cause it's simply that awesome.
The dwarves are a riot.
Three hours after Frodo pulled me over to meet them at the feast, my sides ached and I was crying with laughter as we got up to follow Elrond and Arwen out of the room.
It was, as is usual with my luck, this moment when Boromir chose to come up to me and ask to escort me to the Hall of Fire.
Picture this: Boromir, tall, proud, and drop-dead gorgeous as ever, his blond hair gleaming and his warm green eyes smiling at me.
Me, short little me, a drop or two of sauce spilt onto my dress, breathless from laughter, eyes red from crying from laughing so hard, hair in a sloppy ponytail that had slipped off to one side when I'd fallen backwards out of my chair, no makeup on whatsoever, and cheeks flaming from embarrassment of knowing that he was seeing me look this bad.
Yeah, I can completely understand why he'd want to be seen with me.
I accepted, cheeks still red as tomatoes, and sent Pippin a glare that promised revenge for his teasing.
Grabbing the front of my dress in my fist so I wouldn't trip over it and make more of a fool of myself, I placed my hand in the crook of his arm.
"Are you gonna be at the Council tomorrow," I asked him, unable to stop myself from grinning stupidly up at him as we walked.
He looked surprised. "Yes. How do you know of the Council?"
"Because I'm going, too. Lord Elrond requested I go."
"But you're a woman!" He closed his eyes for a moment and grimaced, a look I knew well from how many times I'd had that exact expression. "That did not come out right. Women are intelligent, but this was to be an affair of war matters. Women should not have to face the horrors of battle."
I patted his arm, the corner of my mouth turning up into a wry grin. I had brothers; I knew exactly how many ways a man could put his foot into his mouth. "Don't worry, I know what you meant. But I will be at the Council tomorrow."
He looked at me curiously. "Why did you come to Rivendell, Lady Rose?"
I winced. "Ew. Don't call me Lady Rose. One, I don't have noble status, therefore the title doesn't belong. Two, Lady Rose sounds like a drag name, and since I really AM a woman, and not a man pretending to be one, just call me Rose."
He looked surprised. "You are not of noble blood? And yet Elrond requested your presence at the Council?"
"No I'm not and yes he did. Now, are you going to call me Rose or not?"
"I shall call you Rose, so long as you call me Boromir. And it has not escaped my notice that you haven't answered my question."
Damn, I thought I'd gotten away with it.
"Um... I came because I had to. I wasn't given a choice," I answered truthfully. No one had given me a choice about coming to Middle Earth.
"Why were you not you given a choice," he asked, pulling me to a stop and looking at me with concern in those beautiful green eyes.
Mental Rose handed me a rag to wipe the drool from my mouth.
"It doesn't matter," I said, tugging him to get him to go forward.
My tugging was about as effective as trying to move a mountain.
I leaned all my weight on his arm, and he only stood there, looking at me.
"You could at least PRETEND my pulling is working," I said, glaring at him.
He laughed and started walking again, changing the subject, but there was something in his eyes that told me he was purposely letting the matter drop.
I tripped over the skirt of my dress as we started walking again. Unfortunately, I wasn't holding onto his arm, and fell on my butt.
Again.
"You are vastly amusing, but are still about the most graceless woman I've ever had the fortune to meet," he said as he pulled me to my feet. "Didn't your mother teach you how to walk without tripping over your dress?"
I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't 'trip', I 'fall with style'."
"Right, and my brother doesn't 'fall off his horse', he 'gainfully dismounts'."
"Oh, funny." I gave an obviously fake laugh as I glared at him again, using my ultra-'Rose is pissed' glare. "I hope you choke on something. And I'm telling him you said that," I added as an afterthought.
He was completely unmoved.
We sat in the Hall of Fire talking for two hours. We talked about everything, though I purposely steered the subject away from things concerning myself.
Eventually, however, I realized that I was about to fall asleep on his shoulder.
Laughing at me slightly, he nudged me to stand, then escorted me to my room, which I realized was a lot closer when someone else was navigating.
When I pointed this out to him, he laughed incredulously and shook his head, mentioning something about never letting me walk outside alone.
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The next morning dawned bright and disgustingly early.
The Council was to be held at 10 am, but that was comparatively early for me.
It was rare that I got up before noon. Shut up, I like to sleep late.
Previous to our trek to Rivendell from Bree, I hadn't REALLY believed people when they said there were pre-dawn hours.
Not like I haven't been wrong before.
The alarm clock on my cell phone (which still had a battery, thank god, or I'd have missed the Council) rang the Lord of the Rings theme (I'd had it downloaded) at 8 am.
I jerked awake, sitting up abruptly, startled.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the best move as I was already on the edge of the bed, and sitting up so abruptly upset my (laughably non-existent) balance.
I fell off the bed.
Yeah, y'all pretend like I'm the only one who's ever done that before.
Shut up, stop laughing.
Groaning and cursing incoherently, I stumbled to my feet and washed up as well as I could in the wash-basin, and got dressed (in a dress, damn it. If they threw away my jeans, I'm going to revolt).
Wishing desperately for a shower, coffee, and a map of some kind, I stumbled out my door and into the hall.
Well, two out of three is better than I was expecting.
Blessing my non-existent lack of direction, I stumbled into the bath house.
I'll admit the temptation was there to simply jump into the pool, screw the dress and converses.
I'm proud to say I managed to restrain myself for about ten seconds, in which time I did the fastest strip in recorded history, and bodily hurled myself into the hot water.
No graceful swan dives or gently slipping into the pool for me.
Nope, I did a gleeful belly flop (which I instantly regretted) and took IMMENSE satisfaction in the instantaneous shrieks of the elleths who'd gotten splashed.
Not to mention the first real bath I'd had in days.
Surfacing (and rubbing the sting out of my belly, my naval ring protesting), I grabbed the nearest bottle (after asking the nearby elleth if I could use it), sniffed it warily, hoped it was soap, poured it onto my head, and scrubbed with a zeal and pleasure that had the nearby elves laughing.
I scrubbed myself so hard and so many times (I was disgusting. I'd never gone that long without a shower before) that my skin was pink when I finally got out.
I really needed to shave because I was starting to feel like a sheep or something, but I had no idea where the razors were, was too shy to ask, and I highly doubted they were safety razors anyway.
With my noted lack of coordination, open blades and I aren't great friends.
After a good long soak, I reluctantly climbed out of the pool. One of the elleth attendants handed me a towel and pointed me in the direction of a changing stall.
Inside I found the Holy Grail.
Well, it was only a brush, but it sure felt like the Holy Grail when I managed to get all the tangles out of my wet hair.
Setting it back down reverently, I went out of the bathing hall.
Now, clean, dry, immensely happy, and only stumbling after tripping on my dress (which I resolved to burn the minute I got my jeans back) I spent half an hour wandering around trying to find my way back to the dining hall.
I found the next best thing: a guide.
Well, I more or less crashed into him.
I had been running my fingers through my hair to get it to dry, and had long since stopped paying attention to where I was going (what's the point? So I can see MORE rooms I don't recognize?) I ran face first into Boromir, who'd been reading and walking at the same time.
And was promptly knocked on my butt.
HE remained standing.
"I can NOT seem to stay vertical around you," I said, exasperated and giggling slightly. "You're like a bad luck charm or something."
"No one else seems to think so," Boromir shot back, grinning as he helped me to my feet.
"So, any chance you'd want to steer me to the Dining Hall," I asked hopefully.
What I really wanted to ask was if he knew where the nearest Starbucks was, but I didn't think he'd find it as funny as I did.
He looked at me, one eyebrow lifted.
Why does everyone keep giving me that look?
"The Council is to start in ten minutes. That was the warning bell you heard," he said, both amused and confused (apparently common feelings in people who meet me).
"I knew that," I said defensively, though obviously lying. But maybe he didn't know me well enough to tell. "I was just testing you, is all."
He shot me a look as he grabbed my shoulders and turned me around, steering me in front of him.
"You're a terrible liar. You got lost didn't you?"
"NO," I said defensively, looking back at him as he pushed. "I was just...looking for the library...and stuff..."
"You were looking for the library in the wrong part of the city, and ten minutes before the Council," he said, amused and clearly knowing I was lying.
I looked down at my feet. "Um...yeah. That's how the cool people do it. Didn't you know that?"
"I have no idea what you mean by 'cool', but admit it: you were lost, and wouldn't have made it to the Council without me."
"I wasn't LOST, I just didn't know where I WAS. There's a difference."
He shot me a look. "Is that like the difference between 'tripping' and 'falling with style'?"
I, ever the mature one, stuck my tongue out at him. "Hmm...still haven't choked on anything yet, have you?"
"No, because MY father taught me how to eat without spilling or choking on anything," he retorted with a grin.
I glared at him some more, then harrumphed.
"Fine, I believe this round goes to you," I said, keeping my nose in the air as I took my seat beside his.
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I've taken the SAT's.
I've taken the ACT's.
I've even sat through an entire, unabridged performance of War and Peace.
But never, in my ENTIRE life, have I ever been so bored as I was in that Council.
After Elrond did his whole dramatic 'we're all going to die slowly and painfully unless one of you grows the balls to take the ring to Mordor' comment, it got kind of boring.
After all, I knew what each person was going to say.
I only barely managed to refrain from quoting along with them.
Good God, Elrond owes me for making me sit through this.
I spent most of the time with the Council completely tuned out, watching RENT in my head.
Shut up, I don't care what you say; I am NOT the only one who's memorized the movie.
"...from the future and possesses knowledge of these events. Rose, please stand," Elrond said, gesturing to me.
The entire council looked at me.
I was still watching RENT, slouched over in my chair.
Oh, how I love the Tango Maureen.
"Rose," Elrond said again, trying to get my attention.
Boromir sighed slightly and elbowed me to get my attention.
I looked up and realized the entire council was standing, obviously having just been fighting, and were looking at me expectantly.
And I had no idea what they'd asked.
Why is it ALWAYS me?
"Sorry, what," I asked, blushing furiously.
"Some help she will be," one of the elves burst out, "she cannot even stay focused on the Council."
Indignant, I looked the elf dead in the eye.
"Tell me, friend, what is the point of me paying attention if I know everything that will be said? Would YOU sit through the entire Council twice if you didn't have to?"
The elf shifted in his seat.
"I didn't think so. Now, what was the question, Lord Elrond."
The dwarves looked like they wanted to kiss me for pwning an elf.
I desperately hoped they wouldn't.
"What will be done with the One Ring?"
I looked at him, surprised. I didn't see the harm in answering him, though. "A fellowship will be formed to take the Ring into the fires of Mount Doom and destroy it."
"Who will these members be," he asked, obviously trying to prove my worth to the Council.
I had no idea why, though.
"These members must choose to go by their own free will, or the fellowship will not work," I said, my head cocked to the side (one day, I WILL break that habit) looking at Elrond in confusion.
Surely he knew enough about people to know that.
"Does that prove her wisdom," Elrond asked the Council. "She refused to change history."
They nodded.
Wait, what?
"She shall come with the Fellowship to warn of dangers," one of the dwarves shouted.
WHAT?!
"No, that's alright. I'm just a woman, remember?"
No one was paying attention to me.
"Maybe she should bear the Ring," someone else suggested.
"HELL no," I snapped.
"No, the Ring has the power to corrupt, and a corrupt Seer would weild more power than a wizard might," Elrond said.
Oh, thank GOD.
"She shall, however, accompany the fellowship. All in agreement, say 'aye'."
Mental Rose had a mental breakdown, and started to laugh out of sheer hysterics.
"AYE," they all shouted.
"NOOOO," I wailed.
"It is done, Rose shall join the Ringbearer Frodo on his quest to Mount Doom."
Resisting the urge to curse loudly and in every language I could think of, I walked over to Frodo's side.
"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear," Gandalf said, placing his hand on Frodo's shoulder.
"If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will," said Aragorn, kneeling. "You have my sword."
"And you have my bow," said Legolas as he came to stand beside us.
"And my axe!" Gimli scowled at Legolas as he came over.
Legolas just sort of looked constipated.
Yay! Go Dwarves!
"You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done," Boromir said, looking down at Frodo as he walked over.
I looked over to the brush, wondering if this was going to follow the book or movies.
"Mr. Frodo is not goin' anywhere without me!" Sam leapt from behind the foliage and ran over.
Right, movie then.
"No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not," Elrond said, amused.
"Wait! We are coming too!"
I couldn't help it.
I cracked up at the look on Elrond's face.
"You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!"
"Anyway you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest... thing," Pippin said with authority.
"Well that rules you out, Pip," Merry added dryly.
"Ten companions... So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"
I closed my eyes and groaned.
I'm not here for a week and I'm already changing canon.
Maybe I should just give up and change my name to Mary-Sue.
It would save time at the very least.
"Great! Where are we going?"
Well at least there are some things I can't change.
Pippin's overwhelming intelligence for one.
