Ch. 9: Ramifications

Kylie stayed in her seat as the rest of the council members left. Gandalf assured her that he would tell Thorin she would be right down. Elrond exchanged a look with Galadriel, but quickly left. Saruman was the last to exit. He gave her a long glance that she couldn't quite read, but she did not think it could be anything good. But he did not stay long. Finally, the two women (or elf and woman) were alone.

"You have been touched by this evil," said Galadriel, gesturing to where the Morgul blade had sat. There was no question in the elf lady's voice.

"Yeah." There was no point in hiding it.

"Tell me."

Kylie sighed and sat down. "Do you want the short version or the whole story?"

"The gift of foresight itself is a burden," admitted Galadriel. "I do not wish to know the future, only the truth."

"Alright. Well in the future, there will be a full out war. Like orcs, trolls, giant elephants… everything. I guess it all started when the ringbearer brought the ring here. That was the first time they attacked us."

"The Witch-King?" Galadriel's already pale complexion became white.

Kylie nodded. "The Nazgǔl. All nine of them. The first time they attacked us was on Weathertop. Frodo… he was the ringbearer… was stabbed by that knife. Then they chased us here. But we got rid of them for a little while. Then the Witch-King led an assault on Minas Tirith and…." Kylie couldn't continue.

"You withstood an attack," said the Lady.

Kylie nodded. "He grabbed me..."

"His mark has been healed, but you never had the chance to cope. It will be difficult once you leave this place. Dwarves may be a bullheaded race, but they are among the most loyal of companions. You will have need of their support."

"Okay?"

"There is more. Tell me: why did you choose to join the dwarves' quest?"

"I just did," she said quickly. This was a difficult question. Kylie did not want to answer, but she knew the Lady of Lorien had some sort of power that allowed her to see in minds.

"You wish to change the course of the future," said Galadriel without any doubt.

If she had thought about lying before, she knew now she couldn't. "You have no idea what's going to happen. I can't just sit here and not do anything!"

"The future is a very difficult thing to change. It may prove to be impossible. But you need to take caution."

"But I have to try!"

"You misunderstand. Whatever you decide to change, there will be consequences."

"I know."

"Do you?" Galadriel said, more serious than Kylie had ever seen her before. "You are playing with an evil you cannot hope to master on your own."

Kylie looked down crest. She knew Galadriel was right, but she couldn't be. "Look. Last time I was here, you told me that I came here for a reason. I mean… there's got to be a reason I'm here again."

Galadriel was silent. Kylie knew she had a point. She had to. It took several minutes for the Lady of the Woods to speak. "I cannot see all ends. And I cannot foresee what you may or may not cause. But please, remember each of your actions will likely cause change. It may be even worse than the future you know."

"Of course…."

"No. You must understand: you may inadvertently cause something we may all regret."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxx

Lord Elrond was waiting for Kylie when she left the council chambers.

"It appears you spoke the truth," he said.

"I told you, Ar… he," she changed quickly at Elrond's warning glance, "was my friend."

"I understand now. But I do hope you understand the need for my caution. And I hope you will exercise that same caution during your travels," he told her.

"I will," she promise. "It's just hard. If this were the future, you'd trust me."

"In your future, I would already have an impression of you. Here, I know nothing. Do you understand that?"

Kylie nodded slowly. She was almost glad to be leaving with the group of dwarves. Maybe they were still getting used to her, but at least she was getting used to them too.

"However, my fears were wrong and I may have treated you with disrespect. I know my sons did. Please, accept my offering." With that, Elrond produced a bow, quiver, and sword. "I have noticed you struggle with your weapons. These ought to be much easier for you. And these," he continued, producing a sack, "are from the armory. You ought to find these more suitable to travel in than the attire from your world."

"Thank you."

"Although I need to ask: what is your purpose here?"

"How do I know? I don't know why anybody brought me here," she said desperately without trying to sound desperate.

Elrond stared, but he did not have the same effect as Galadriel. He did not completely believe her, she could tell, but he was unwilling to say. "You will have many choices here. Each choice will invariably lead to something unknown. Your actions may or may not lead to a change in the future you know."

"Okay. I understand," she said quickly.

"I suppose I cannot keep you here without cause. But I will beg of you: do not try to influence the future."

Kylie stared. "I won't do anything that will make anything worse."

Elrond nodded slowly. He must have known that he would not get any better answer. "Good luck, Kylie Turney. May Eru bless all your decisions."

A/N: Writing's starting to get a bit slow... but I'm going to keep up as long as I can! As always, reviews are appreciated :)