Look out!
Meanwhile, Natasha had been led to her room, an absolutely beautiful suite complete with sitting room and balcony overlooking the gardens, along with an equally lavish bathroom. A four-poster bed graced the center of the bedroom, mattress giving softly under her questing fingers. The bathroom consisted of a pool the size of a kiddie pool back home and was filled of ever-hot, constantly-flowing-so-always-fresh water. However, unlike the hot springs she was used to at home, this one did not smell of sulfur. In fact, it smelled more of lavender and other floral scents people used in their baths.
"I will leave some fresh clothing for you on your bed, my lady." Anna said as she laid a towel out along the side of the tub, placing a couple of bottles within easy reach.
"Thank you, Anna." Natasha replied gratefully and watched the she-elf leave the room before stripping and slipping into the pool.
She sighed in contentment as sore muscles were soothed away in the heat. Leaning her head back against the side of the tub, she merely relished the warmth surrounding her. How long had it been since she'd been able to enjoy such luxuries as this? She thought about just remaining as she was until she was more shriveled than a prune but fatigue soon caught up with her and rather than drowning, she set about cleaning herself so she could move onto other luxuries, like that bed in the next room.
She scoured her body until it was glowed pink and her hair was just a mass of freely flowing, soft red kelp in the sea of the bathtub. Reluctant to leave the warmth of the bath, she floated in a dreamy haze as her thoughts wandered. Inevitably, they wandered to where her brother was, and how he was doing.
Fighting back tears, she toweled herself off and dressed in the new clothes, vioently toweling her hair dry. This done, she crawled exhaustedly onto the massive bed (massive compared to her tiny cot she had back at the Med Station) and fell asleep almost instantly.
"Help us! Please! You must help us!" a group of voices kept calling to her. "Natasha, only you can save us! Please!"
A light glowed in the distance but as she ran towards it, it kept getting farther and farther away, taking the voices with it.
"Wait! Who are you?" she called back. "How do I help you? Where are you?"
"Natasha! Help us! Please!" the voices were weaker now and farther away.
"How?" she cried desperately.
"We are dying!"
Someone screamed and then the earth started shaking.
"Natasha!"
"Natasha!" Legolas was shaking her shoulder, ducking as an object flew at his head and crashed into the far wall.
He and Strider had been coming to escort Natasha to the Dining Hall when suddenly Anna flew out of the room with a scream, clutching her head. Racing to the door, they found the air filled with flying vases, books, brushes, clothes, etc. Anna had taken a book to the head before she could duck and had escaped just before a vase had smashed against the wall. Natasha lay on the bed, her head thrashing back and forth, tears coursing down her cheeks and murmuring incoherently. They tried to wake her up but became desperate as their efforts failed.
"Anna, go get Mithrandir! Hurry!" Strider yelled from the bedroom to where the servant cowered by the door, not wanting to leave the King's guest but not wanting to get hit by anything either.
They kept trying to wake Natasha as the servant raced out of the room and down the hall. Several minutes passed before Gandalf, along with Thranduil, came striding into the room.
"Be still!" the Istari commanded the objects in the room, but nothing happened. A vase flew at his head, barely missing it as he stepped to the side.
"She won't wake!" Strider said urgently, shielding the wizard from most of the chaos.
Gandalf made it to the bedside and placed his hand first on Natasha's cheek then on her forehead, his eyes closed in concentration and lips moving silently, drawing Natasha out of her nightmare. Thranduil placed a comforting hand on the two younger elves' shoulders, watching anxiously as everything in the room stopped dead and fell to the floor with crashes and thuds. Natasha's eyes flew open with a gasp and she struggled to sit up against Gandalf's restraining hands.
"Hush, young one. You're safe now." Gandalf crooned, smoothing back her hair.
Shaking with fear, Natasha tried to hide her face in the pillow, ashamed she'd disturbed so many people. Mithrandir stood and was quickly replaced by Strider and Legolas, who settled on either side of her, soothing her as she calmed bit by agonizing bit.
"I should probably get ready." she said quietly, pulling away from the two elves, and brushing her hair back self consciously.
"Do not worry yourself, my dear." Thranduil spoke up from his place near the door. "My wife will understand if you do not feel up to attending dinner tonight."
"I'll be fine. Just need a few moments to get myself looking presentable." Natasha headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind her, almost catching Anna as she hurried to help her.
Strider and Legolas watched the bathroom door, concern for the occupant clearly showing on their faces. They had of course thought her more than presentable but kept their thoughts to themselves. Thranduil and Gandalf smiled knowingly, shaking their heads.
"Has this happened before?" Gandalf asked suddenly.
"This morning." Strider replied absently, not taking his eyes off the door.
"Though nothing like this." Legolas added just as absently, jerking his head at the disarray.
'She proves stronger at every turn.' Gandalf mused silently. 'Perhaps it would be best if…'
He had no chance to finish the thought as Thranduil all but dragged him out of the room and to the Dining Hall, something muttered about notifying the Queen about the delay, leaving the two younger elves waiting for Natasha.
In the bathroom, Anna helped Natasha into a fresh set of clothing, gently combing her hair out, pulling the mass of curls back into a simple braid. Well simple for one used to braids. As Anna worked, Natasha watched in amazement as he hair went from a mess to something rather beautiful, in the span of mere minutes. She'd never have been able to do this by herself, she decided when Anna was finished, and told her so, with many thanks. Anna smiled gently, assuring her it was a most simple thing, she could teach Natasha later if she liked, but now it was time for dinner.
Outside, Strider offered his arm to Natasha and together he and Legolas led her through the corridors to the Dining Hall, and they soon had her laughing as they regaled her with one of the tales from Strider's youth, regarding Strider's father and a certain pair of glued boots.
"And he still thinks that the twins did it and not me." Strider finished, a smug smirk on his lips.
Natasha was laughing so hard her side hurt, the nightmare completely forgotten. Strider stopped out of view of the open door, gazing at her worriedly.
"Does your shoulder bother you?"
"No." she sighed, laughter still hanging in the back of her mind. "At least this power of mine takes care of any hurts I have when it decides to take action."
She sighed suddenly, gazing uncertainly at the suddenly ominous open door to the Dining Hall.
"You don't have to attend if you don't feel up to it, Natasha" Legolas soothed. "Mother understands and offered to have a tray brought to your room."
"That was kind of her. But I've been through worse things than nightmares and still kept going. Besides if I don't keep my mind on something else, I'll start brooding on it." Natasha managed a shaky smile.
Strider nodded slowly and Legolas rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. Jerking her head up, she nodded and they made their way to their seats. Amazingly enough, there were few diners in the room, in fact it seemed as if only the royal family were in attendance. The King sat at one end of the short table, with Gandalf opposite him and beside the King sat the most beautiful woman Natasha had ever seen in her life. Her blonde hair ran down her back to her waist, pulled back from her face in elaborate braids that contained beads that glittered in the candle light.
"My mother." Legolas whispered to her as he held her chair for her, to the right of Gandalf. "Don't worry, she doesn't bite."
"So this is the woman my sons and his mate have found." the she-elf said with a kind smile, before introducing herself. "I am Lalaith."
"A pleasure to meet you, your majesty. I'm Natasha McGowan." she curtsied..
"The pleasure's all mine, dear." she replied and then sent a mischievous smile at Strider. "Tell me, Legolas. Why is it you could not have found some sweet girl like her wandering in the woods instead of that scruffy ranger? Does he never bathe?"
Strider smiled indulgently, well used to this kind of teasing by this point in his life his brothers, the Peredhel twins, did the same to him every time he returned to Imladris.
"He does indeed, mother, as you can plainly see." Legolas played along genially. Strider and Legolas had both cleaned up before dinner, rather nicely, Natasha thought.
"Though had I seen him first I might have welcomed the spiders." Natasha muttered, in a voice just loud enough for Strider to hear.
"Natasha!" he gasped, feigning a wound to his heart. "You can't mean that. After all, was I not the most heroic thing you've ever seen?"
She leveled him with a measuring glance, tilting her head and pursing her lips thoughtfully.
"I don't know, Legolas looked pretty good too. He was certainly cleaner." she said thoughtfully, her smile giving away her teasing.
"Well said, Natasha. Well said." Gandalf applauded as the rest of the table dissolved into giggles while Strider pouted, arms crossed over his chest, though his eyes shone with mirth.
The rest of the meal passed pleasantly enough. Everyone was interested in the story of Natasha's journey, which was greatly edited when Strider and Legolas told the tale. But finally, the meal was finished and everyone went their separate ways, and not a moment too soon, she didn't like being the center of attention. Gandalf and Thranduil returned to the King's study with Strider and Legolas in tow, the two young elves checking over their shoulder as they left the room.
"Perhaps you'd care to join me in a turn of the gardens, Natasha?" the queen asked lightly, rising.
"I'd be delighted to, your majesty." Natasha replied, smoothing the skirt of her gown nervously. 'Gardens? Underground?' she wondered silently. 'This I have to see.'
The gardens were a beautiful place, though Natasha supposed she shouldn't be surprised, given everything Strider and Legolas had told her about the elves on their journey here. The fact that there was a garden at all was a testament to the wood elves' connection with nature, and to the dwarven ingenuity that had allowed natural light from outside to penetrate so far within the palace (but one did not mention that particular fact lightly. Thranduil had very little love for the dwarves, Legolas had warned her). Little waterfalls added a natural music to the place, the gentle trickle a soothing melody that blocked out all other noise, allowing one to simply lose themselves in the beauty of the place without distraction. Natasha looked around her in awe, taking in breath after deep, fragrant breath. They walked in companionable silence along the path, simply enjoying the beauty around them, before the queen sat on a bench tucked along the path near a fountain.
"You've certainly given my son and Estel a surprise." Lalaith said out of the blue.
"Estel?" Natasha asked, puzzled over who this could be. There'd been no one at dinner by that name.
"I believe humans call him Strider, though why I couldn't guess. Estel is his name among the elves, given to him by his father Lord Elrond."
"Ah." Natasha replied simply "He never mentioned it."
"Probably not, he's been around humans for long it takes a while for him to remember such things when he's finally back among us. Though I truly wish he wouldn't pick up such habits as not bathing when he is away."
Natasha chuckled at this, remembering how surprised she'd been to see him all cleaned up and in elven finery. It had been a pleasant surprise. He'd certainly cleaned up nicely. Apparently, she and the Queen were on the same wavelength for the Queen voiced just that.
"But I guess that makes it all the more amazing when he finally removes all that dirt. He cuts a fine figure, wouldn't you agree? Oh don't worry, I would never hold it against you. One would have to be blind to not see how attractive he was." but even as she said this, a secretive smile played across her lips.
Caught unawares, Natasha could only manage an embarrassed nod, a blush reddening her cheeks. The queen changed topics and for the next hour or so, they spoke of seemingly random topics, though Legolas and Strider seemed to enter into the discussion no matter how unrelated the topic was. Eventually, a servant finally came and called the Queen away to her duties.
"Thank you for your company, Natasha. I have enjoyed our talk Please feel welcome to use the gardens anytime during your stay with us." Lalaith said in parting.
"Thank you, your majesty." Natasha replied gratefully and followed another servant back to her rooms, where she quickly fell into a peaceful sleep, filled with the beauties of the garden.
