Chapter 10: Dancing in the Dark

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The two great doors were pulled open from the other side and, as one; the girls strode out to the small balcony at the head of the stairs. Below the stairs was a grand ballroom, with long tables branching off from a main one, resulting with a sort of upside-down u shape, with the stairs opening up at the empty space, facing the head table. The room grew silent. The herald standing behind them began the announcement:

"Master Elrond, allow me to present Lady Mydia Celebrindal," Mel curtsied as they had all been told, remaining in that stance as the herald continued, "Lady Siowiel Nólatári," Susan curtsied upon hearing her new elvish name, "Lady Galithralia Lúinwë," no one moved for a moment, until Fern nudged Jackie.

"What? Oh, that's me," she said, curtseying.

The herald raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Lady Alatariel Linwëlin," Fern curtsied. And lastly, "Lady Nessa Sáralondë," and Jess curtsied, they remained that way for a moment, as was tradition, until Elrond rose.

"Welcome Mellon nins,"

"Did he just call us melons?" Jackie whispered as they rose as one.

"Err, no," Jess intoned.

"Were you not paying attention when they were teaching us elvish?" Mel hissed. Erestor, Elronds' Chief Advisor, had taken time to teach them basic elvish, enough for them to get through the ceremony and enough for their cover story, that they were elves from a small colony in the far south, to seem viable. Fern had already picked some up from her time in Rivendell, so learnt fairly well, she had always been strong in languages. Mel and Jess picked it up rather quickly, unlike Jackie and Susan who struggled, as was evident is Jackies' misinterpretation of 'mellon nins' as melon, rather then 'my friends'.

"No," Jackie said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jess rolled her eyes and Mel turned away, placing her hand gracefully on the banister as Jess did the same. Music began playing as they all descended the grand staircase to where their dance partners stood, waiting, at the bottom of the stairs. The Rangers stood, smiling and held their hands out; the girls placed their hands in their partners' and were lead out onto the dance floor. All eyes were upon them. The music changed and they began to dance.

"Step, one, two, three," Mel was muttering, eyes closed as her partnered guided them both, gliding along the dance floor. Jackie and Fern were blushing a deep red, Ferns' eyes mesmerised by James' and her blush soon faded as all she could see was him. Susan had found some enthusiasm, enjoying the positive attention they were all receiving; she danced with her partner, almost leading him herself. Jess's eyes darted around the room nervously, her face pale. She noticed people she knew at the head table and received a comforting smile from Elladan. Further along she noticed Legolas and Gimli, Legolas's eyes seemed to be boring into her, then they moved slightly to her left, to where Mel was now dancing. Jess manoeuvred her partner towards them, much to his confusion.

"Mel," she hissed. "Legolas is plotting to murder your partner,"

"What?" Mel remarked as her partner paled. Jess rolled her eyes and allowed her partner to move them along.

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"So, what are we waiting for?" Gimli asked. Before Legolas could answer his friend, and elf next to Gandalf replied pompously.

"This is an introductory ball Master Dwarf, so we, of course, waiting for those that we are to be introduced to…" he was about to continue when the doors were pulled open.

"It's those young lasses again," Gimli observed. "They seem to have…matured…" he said.

"What young lasses?" Gandalf asked.

Gimli and Legolas did not reply. Erestor launched into a long-winded speech about the origins of the five girls standing before them.

"Lady Mydia…" the herald boomed. Legolas' eyes locked onto the girl that was politely curtseying, he took in the red gown and the dark hair, and then surveyed those standing with her, who were being introduced under grand Elven names. He instantly recognised the group. He had not been told who would be introduced at the ball, he only knew they were from a small colony in the south, instantly he knew that to be an un-truth, the girl in red was the one he had been teaching the bow to in Edoras, the one who had rode behind him from her captivity near Fangorn. His heart beat quickened as the ceremony continued, his breath felt as if it had been taken from him as he watched her descend the stairs and place her hand in that of a Ranger, for a moment his eyes flicked to Aragorn whom he uncharacteristically glared at, muttering about 'damn Rangers' before looking back to her, who was now gliding across the dance floor. He proceeded to glare at the Ranger whom she danced with.

"So laddie, jealous?" Gimli grinned up at Legolas.

"Most certainly not!"

"Ahh, but you knew what I was talking about," Legolas turned to glare at Gimli for a moment, before looking back. He saw the blonde practically drag her partner over to where Mel danced and whisper something inaudible before allowing her partner to guide her away. He saw Mel's eye flash towards him and he quickly turned to Gimli and said, quite loudly:

"Oh you're quite correct," Gimli laughed heartily. "Not about that dwarf!"

"Am I missing something here?" Gandalf questioned looking between Legolas and Gimli.

"Well, you see…" Gimli began.

"Quiet dwarf before I steal your box!"

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The music stopped and they took their seats at the head table, as they had been instructed. Elrond stood, "Let the feast begin!"

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Jess leaned across Mel's dance partner to talk to her friend.

"He hasn't taken his eyes off you all night, mind you we've only been here half an hour, but still…"

"What are you on about woman?" Mel demanded.

"Legolas, duh," Jess replied rolling her eyes.

"The prince?" Mel's dance partner asked.

"You know it's rude to listen in to other people's conversations," Jess said as the same time that Mel said:

"Excuse me, private conversation here!" Mel said, sneering.

Elladan looked up from his plate, "We can hear you also,"

"Well you're not supposed to be listening!" Mel sneered.

"It would be good to quell rumours that he is gay however," Elrohir commented. His brother raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, it would,"

"It does not help that it you who originally began those rumours!"

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"They're looking at us again," Gimli noticed.

"What?" Legolas asked.

"I thought you were meant to be the intelligent race,"

"Well, Master Dwarf," Erestor said, leaning across Gandalf, who sat between the two. "We elves…" he continued, though Gimli paid no attention.

"So, you gonna get the lass?" Legolas appeared shocked at that remark.

"Gimli, the elven method of courtship is entirely different. It is a long process designed to understand the others soul," Gandalf told him.

"Who ever said anything about courting?"

"Gimli, I would appreciate if you desisted from such comments, they are entirely inappropriate and disrespectful," Legolas told him.

"Sorry my friend," Gimli said. "I misunderstood,"

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"Ahh, James," Fern sighed, again, as the girls all sat in a corner.

"Bloody men," Mel muttered, pouting, as Legolas waltzed by, seemingly ignoring her.

"Hmm," Jess got up suddenly, inspired, and walked across to the elven twins. Mel glared at her retreating back muttering something like 'abandon me, why don't you,'

Further along Jackie was talking to Gimli, seemingly plotting something sinister. Susan waltzed by, again, a gigantic grin plastered upon her face.

"Damn men," Mel muttered again and took a swig from some sort of elvish wine.

The door to the hall burst open and the heads of inquisitive elves turned to see what the commotion was. There stood a lone elf, "Lord Elrond, orcs are marching on the battlements!"

"To arms!"

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The girls gathered together watching in shock as elf and human alike sprinted past them. The normally tranquil Rivendell was suddenly amassed with troops. Whilst many were not going to fight they had other duties they were able to attend to. The five girls were the only ones that had nothing in which they ought to do.

"We should help them," Jess insisted, constantly turning to the room's exits.

"Realistically, what would we be able to achieve? We haven't fought alongside these people before, we would get in the way," Mel told her, and them all.

"We could get injured, we'd be no help then. I can heal…I'll be needed," Fern enlightened them.

"You can heal? You mean Lord Elrond taught you about his medicines?"

Fern shook her head. "It's more like a skill. Elrond mentioned it; he said that the strange force that pulled us here, that we shouldn't be in this place, and that we may be different…but I didn't want to…"

"Why not?" Susan burst in. "Something ELCE has happened to us and you don't mention it! Has anyone else noticed this?"

"Jessie's wolf thingy…" Jackie suggested.

"Beastspeaking," Mel sniggered.

"Anyone else?" Susan demanded.

Everyone remained silent. Jackie refused to meet the others eyes, and rocked on her feet; whilst Mel boldly stared Susan down, making the others glad that their loudest two didn't get into a debate.

The thoughts of all but one moved back to their original conundrum. They all wanted to help, but two had concerns and fears that stopped them from running blindly into the fray. One of the girls was unsure about either course of action.

"I want to help," Jackie said.

"We were given weapons, why not use them?" Jess argued. "We have learnt so many things so unbelievably fast, we're adapting to the strangeness of this world. I feel I have been here my entire life, we are now apart of this world…"

"We're these Elfling things…" Jackie cut in, adding her own point.

"Yes," Jess looked determined. "I'm going out there,"

"Wait," Mel insisted, stopping Jess in her tracks as she moved. "We don't do this half-hearted. We do this together. No matter how much we've assimilated into this place, we still remain outsiders," she closed her eyes to help her think. "We didn't grow up in a society where one arms them self as a matter of fact," in her mind she saw her bow and quiver, sitting up in the room she and Jess now shared, just itching to be used, but the fear she was feeling had her stomach in knots. She realised her mind had been straying when she heard a voice, the voice of the person her thoughts had gone to, a person who was now far away. She opened her eyes looking for him, but he wasn't there, but his voice remained in her head, even quieter then usual, but harder, less filtered.

"…over there, that tree…is that…one…string…aim…another? Must stop before they get in…before they…SWORD! Move, move, move!"

Nobody else had heard what she heard, her mind told her it wasn't the normal elven advancements, such as the one that improved her eyesight so long ago. 'Changes?' she pondered. Suddenly her fear was irrelevant.

"We should help them. Fend off the horde…Fern, perhaps the infirmary will need your recently acquired skills in the art of healing."

Jess smiled. "To arms then!" she revelled, as she turned and ran for the exit. Jackie, Fern and Mel would join her within moments, with Fern breaking off from the group almost immediately and heading for the familiar infirmary. None of them noticed that Susan did not follow.

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Susan wondered if she was having a panic attack. The fashion focus of the last few weeks had occupied her brain every waking moment. She had not listened as they were taught the language, the culture, the history. She did not watch as Jess, Mel and Jackie practiced at weaponry and tactics with a giggly, yet nervous Fern looking on. The strangeness and danger of this world was beginning to overwhelm her again, and had at last caught up with her. She ran from the room, searching for a place to hide.

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Elladan and Elrohir were firing arrows off a balcony that overlooked the forest that the orcs were threading their way through, and where much of the fighting was occurring. The skirmishes were more difficult then they had been lately, they appeared almost organised again.

"Perhaps they have a new master," Elladan suggested.

"But whom? Would a man be able to command them?" his brother thought for a moment. "Has Gandalf been keeping an eye on his fellows?"

"Personally, I've always felt what's-his-face the Brown was a bit iffy,"

Mel appeared next to where they crouched behind the latticing that served as a banister, bow in hand and a quiver of arrows on her back; she still wore her blood-red dress, but now with a hooded charcoal cloak; so that only glimpses of the bold material could be seen; her dark eyes glistening in the darkness as she gazed through the lattice at the field before them.

"How's it going?"

"It's hard to tell…no sign of Urak-hi, or any archers…what are you doing here?"

"Helping," Mel insisted as she fired a perfectly aimed arrow at an orc that had made it past the tree line. The twins gave her questioning looks. "We had a discussion and everything,"

"The others?" Elladan inquired, his usual jovial self appearing concerned.

"Jess and Jackie are down there somewhere, playing at heroes. Fern went straight to the infirmary…do you know anything about…" Mel said, her thoughts wandering.

"What?"

"Don't worry,"

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They ducked and weaved through the twisting and turning bowels of the forest as they searched for the battle that was occurring at the mysterious 'battlements' of Rivendell, the mystical border of the land generally protected by Elrond. They would have been trampled by a startled horse if not for Jess's recently discovered and quickly developing (secretly) beastspeaking skills. Jess calmed the horse and inquired of it the location and attributes of the fighting. They ran to join the others immediately, turning this way and that until Jackie, reacting to the feeling in the pit of her stomach, drew her sword and held it in the air defensively moments before the sword of an orc crashed against it. Jess helped her friend as she struggled against the creature, swiping at him with her twin long daggers. Task completed they moved on to aid their new friends.

...

Fern ran the distance to the infirmary, having taken a moment to pull a simple coat over her dress. She didn't want that moment of personal time to make her arrive too late to save someone, or to help at all.

Elrond spun when he heard her arrive, a sad smile upon his face. "Many thanks child. Hopefully your assistance will not be required. They usually do not get past our protections however...I am waiting for assistance; otherwise I fear any attempt on my part to rid them from this land will be dangerous. Help prepare the kits with the others please,"

She put herself to work immediately, glad and eager to help. Her conscious would not allow her to sit back when there was work to be done.

...

She ran, just for the sake of running, to clear her thoughts and to get away from everything. The excitement of a ball and everything associated with had given her focus, but now her world was beginning to crash down around her. She hadn't settled in as easy as the others in this weird world, she'd never lived in a fantasy world before, as she'd noticed the others sometimes did. She needed to breathe and just be her, alone, and human. She stopped and leaned against a pillar, feeling herself begin to sob. She slid down until she was on the ground, her legs pulled up close to her body as she tried to control herself. She tried to sing her favourite dance tunes, even get a bit of sit down dancing going, but it was to no avail.

"Miss?" she heard a soft male voice enquire. "Is something amiss?"

She looked up at him, "we're being attacked by nightmarish creatures...or did you miss the memo?"

He appeared mildly confused, but quickly moved past it, "are you afraid?"

"Yes," she admitted. "And now my friends have gone running off to help, they're CRAZY! It's not like this is our fight..."

"Ahh, are you the southern elves who were introduced tonight?"

"Yes," she admitted, looking at him and enjoying his bright eyes. "Where you there?" she asked, wondering if he had seen her spectacular dance moves and general awesomeness.

"Alas, I was not, though if I'd know you were present I would have leaped mountains in order to get there,"

She blushed, not knowing what to say in response to his flirtation, so she looked down towards the ground. Whilst she wasn't looking he took the opportunity to look at an orb hidden beneath the numerous folds of his cloak, he put his hand on it and sent a message.

...

Author Note:

Thanks to all our wonderful and ever patient readers. Particularly to our reviewers for the last chapter: Aryiana and Merrymow – cookies all round.

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