Disclaimer: I do not now, have not and unfortunately will not ever own Lord of the Rings. (I am a bit obsessed though, with the story not individual people)
10.
Strider's POV:
I don't think that I had ever seen Elrond as angry as he was when I told him about the girl and what had happened to her. I hated calling her "the girl", but I refuse to call her "Thing", a name would have to be found for her and preferably soon. She had improved a little over the course of our journey to Rivendell; even so, she is clearly afraid, though of what I can only guess. She has seems curious about everything around her, every time I notice her looking around at the scenery or even listening to things such as insects or birds, I cannot help but feel angry again at that…person who I found her with. He had better hope that we never cross paths again, for I will not let him go with only a threat…even now I doubt that leaving him alive was the right thing to do, however I still had business to attend to in Bree and didn't want to get kicked out prematurely.
She had wanted to follow the hobbits, and I wanted her to go with them, yet she needed to be here…not only as evidence but also to be talked to, for she still hasn't spoken and that worries me. If that person hadn't been threatening to remove her tongue, I would have thought that she didn't have one. Elrond will be able to help me with her, if not then Gandalf is supposed to be here soon, he may have an answer.
There is so little that I know about her, really the only thing that I know is that she needed to be out of there, perhaps if we can convince her to speak, then she will be able to answer some questions. Hopefully while she is in Rivendell, she can heal enough that the purple bruising will have completely faded, though I would not be so naïve as to hope that she will completely heal inside. I can feel her shaking, though she tries to hide it, though I cannot really blame her, for Lord Elrond is looking fearsome at the moment.
My hand moved to her shoulder in an effort to let her know that she was safe here, I am not sure that it helped though; what would help is if Elrond would stop looking murderous, yet after what I had told him, I doubted that that would happen any time soon. Elrond's hand grasped her chin gently; he looked intently at her face, turning it to see every angle. When he noticed the scar on her neck, his frown deepened. While Lord Elrond was looking at her, I noticed that she wasn't looking at him, she seemed to be staring off into space; there is much that needs to be explained to her.
Lord Elrond let go of her chin, gave me a look that clearly said "we will talk later about this", and gracefully moved away. Sighing rather heavily I turned to the girl and found her gazing at her feet, trembling slightly, and obviously worried about something. Placing my hand under her chin, I lifted her face to make her look up; her rather large blue-green eyes, were so lost looking. Normally she was quite successful at hiding her emotions; however I had noticed that she had stopped hiding them when she thought I wasn't looking, though it was mostly when she saw something that amazed her.
"Lord Elrond will want to speak to you later. For now, we shall find you a room where you can get cleaned up. There is no need to be afraid while you are here, no harm will come to you while you are in Rivendell."
I know she heard me and understood at least part of what I said, for she nodded her head. It felt odd to lead a person by the hand, yet I doubt that she would have been able to find anything on her own if I hadn't kept hold of her. Her curiosity would have had her stopping to look at things every few feet, while that was perfectly fine on any other day, she would need to be ready to speak to Lord Elrond soon. We came to a room which I had been told would be alright for her to have during her stay here, I left her there after explaining that she needed to bathe and be dressed when I came back for her. She curtsied and backed into the room. This was yet another thing which would have to be addressed in time, and it would require an insurmountable amount of patience. Though I did not regret my decision, I wondered what I was getting myself, Lord Elrond, the other elves, and possible Gandalf into.
Normal POV:
I was alone in a strange place full of elves—one of whom was already angry with me, the hobbits were somewhere else, and I would be brought before Lord Elrond as soon as Strider came back for me. Once Strider left, I hurried to the bath which had been drawn; it was odd not to fill the tub myself…it felt almost wrong. When I stepped into the bath, I was so astonished that it was warm that I gasped. Instantly, I looked around rather fearfully and let out a silent sigh of relief, as I saw that I was still alone and that no one had heard the brief lapse in my silence…if He had been there then it would not have gone unpunished. As I sat in the tub-making sure to scrub my skin and wash my hair thoroughly, I thought about Rivendell and the elves who lived here. They were all so perfect looking, each one was ethereal in their beauty, each was exceedingly graceful and proficient in many skills. Mortals seem like clumsy children in comparison. I felt so out of place among them, yet I didn't really want to leave the elves' presence…everything seemed peaceful here, more so than out in the wilds.
After bathing and getting into a different dress which had been laid out, I waited near the door until Strider came for me. He took my hand and led me down several halls, through magnificent archways, past myriads of different rooms, and several elves, until he stopped in front of a door and knocked twice.
A voice spoke in the mellifluous language; Strider entered the room and gently tugged me inside after him. Lord Elrond stood when we entered; he inclined his head at us and Strider bowed. I curtsied and looked at the floor as Lord Elrond spoke to Strider in the language I couldn't understand. After the two of them spoke for a few minutes, Strider moved towards a table and three chairs and indicated that I should sit down while he did the same. Lord Elrond sat in the chair across from Strider and the two of them seemed to be discussing something rather important, for they were both extremely serious.
I don't understand why I am here; I can't tell them anything…it isn't allowed.
Lord Elrond spoke in a deep and serious voice, addressing me for the first time, and I wasn't sure what to do; I certainly couldn't speak to the elven lord.
"Strider has told me what he knows about you, yet there are some things he cannot tell me. Perhaps you can shed some light on these questions. One thing he couldn't tell me is your name, would you mind supplying it for me?"
I lowered my head, staring at my legs, unable to answer his question. If He ever found out that I spoke or even made a sound, then He would be very angry with me. Somehow He would find out, whenever Strider took me back, He would find out and there would be trouble. It was better to stay silent, especially since I wasn't sure it was alright to speak.
Strider looked at me, waiting for a response, so I gave the only one that I could; I shook my head and didn't take my eyes off my legs. I immediately knew that I had done something wrong, for neither of them spoke for a long time and I knew I had made a mistake. Yet another mistake in this realm of the elves who seemed to exude perfection and grace.
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