Wennie had collapsed into her bed after a late shift at the restaurant, dealing with not just the usual drunken tourists to the area on Friday nights, but also the constant look of disapproval from Rick. She had described it once to her friends at the cafe, and Esther had jokingly dubbed it the "stinkface". After that night, she was pretty sure "stinkface" suited Rick's sour mood very well. As soon as her head hit her pillow, Wennie was sound asleep.
Being so tired, she truly didn't expect to dream that night, and when she found herself standing in a forest it came as a surprise. Wennie looked around at the enormous trees that sprung from the ground. Some of them were so wide that she couldn't place her arms around them, which she tried on several before a small figure bounced along a worn trail she had failed to notice. Wennie started after the figure, noticing that it wore a long white dress and had a lot of curly blond hair for someone so small.
"Hey!" she called out, picking up her pace to keep time. "Wait!"
Then the little person stopped, and Wennie briefly wondered if they heard her. She saw the head turn slightly, and she was treated with the chubby cheeks and blue eyes of a little girl. This girl looked over her shoulder, giving Wennie the tiniest of smiles. The woman thought this was unnerving, as if the girl really could see her, but she reasoned that as a dream-figure, the girl might be controllable.
Trying to test her theory, Wennie asked, "Where are you going, little girl?"
The girl said nothing, only continued to look in her direction. Wennie tried to think thoughts akin to forcing an answer, but she didn't get the results she expected. The little girl called out, "I can hear you, Ada!"
'Ada?' Wennie walked towards the girl and attempted to place a hand on her shoulder, only to find that it went through. She was a corporeal spirit, so to speak. 'But it was like she was looking right at me!' Wennie's thoughts were a mess when a movement from herleft caught her attention.
"You should not be unescorted, penneth," a male voice said gently to the little girl. Wennie's eyes turned to meet the gaze of a man dressed in what she could only assume were a tunic and leggings of varying shades of gray. He sported a back quiver of arrows and a sword at his hip, but any reservations she should have had were tossed by his demeanor. This man was trained to fight, yes, but there was some connection he had to this girl. "I thought one of your uncles had elected to bring you to the range today?"
'Range? Does he mean archery range?'
"Uncle Rumil is with Silivrenniel and Uncle Orophin. I wanted to walk with you, Ada."
Wennie recognized the long name as her cousin Fiona, but the other names went past her. 'Hang on...didn't she say that some guy named Rumil was her father? If Rumil is uncle to this girl, that must make her kin to Fiona-'
The man took the little girl by the hand and gently led her along the path. Wennie followed three steps behind, watching the interactions. "You are a princess of these woods, Ithilwen," the man told her, "you are expected to be escorted." The taller of the pair sighed, "If your mother had found out that your uncle let you wander by yourself, I would have been the target of her wrath."
'Ithilwen?!' Wennie's eyes widened. 'So this little girl is...is me?!'
"Nana loves you Ada," the little Ithilwen replied. "She would not punish you."
As her thoughts began to click into place, it occurred to Wennie that she had missed another big revelation - this man, or technically elf, was her father. She knew she had heard the terms "nana" and "ada" before, but it was the shock of seeing her younger self that kept her from connecting all the pieces. Wennie run forward and walked backwards so she could better examine one of her parents.
Her adar - Haldir, she recalled - had long light blond hair that was intricately braided back. Dark brows against such fair skin would have seemed strange on most people, but Wennie found it wasn't very noticeable. His blue eyes were framed by dark lashes, and the bridge of his nose was not the straight slope she often saw in San Francisco; his held a slight bump that looked more natural than broken. Haldir moved with the kind of grace that she had seen in the other elves she had encountered, but there was more to it, like he was some kind of soldier. She'd have to make a note to ask someone about what her parents did.
Wennie followed alongside them as they meandered off the worn path to a break in the trees, which opened to a broad enclosure that was littered with other elves. 'So it is an archery range,' she thought, noticing the straw targets set a great distance away. Nearby sat tables that housed varying pieces of equipment: arrows, mending tools, and the occasional bow propped against the edge.
Her gaze went back to herself and Haldir, the former running towards another girl that was slightly larger than her. 'Is that...?' Wennie didn't get to finish her though when her younger self shouted the girl's name. 'So that is Fiona. Wow, we really did get to grow up together!' Her cousin's hair was plaited into one thick braid, and the few strands of hair not quite long enough to reach were flying loose. From behind Silivrenniel stood two identical looking elves, and from the way that her father greeted them, these were her uncles. 'I guess the genes really do get passed along in elven families,' she mused, noting the similar features of Haldir and his brothers. 'It's like you wouldn't notice it until they were all side by side.'
The two girls chattered on until the three older elves were ready for practice. Wennie stood back and watched as Haldir ran her younger self through what she surmised were rounds of repetitive technique. Sometimes he would criticize her form as a parent would in teaching their child something new, but not once did it come out harsh-sounding like the horror stories she had heard about beauty pageant mothers. While they were living vicariously through their children for awards and glory, Wennie felt that Haldir was not that kind of parent. He praised her just as much as he pointed out her faults, which seemed like a parent that wanted their child to succeed from mistakes and take pride in their skill.
Wennie liked the sounds of that, but she couldn't help but think about what he would think of her now. Was she still everything he had hoped his daughter would grow up to become? Would he be proud of her?
The dream had shifted, and now Wennie found herself in a room with little Ithilwen, who sported smudges of black on her fingers, hands, and a cheek. In front of the elf sat sheets of parchment with varying degrees of markings, and farther off sat what Wennie thought were pots of paints. She stood over herself and tried to decipher one of the drawings, but she couldn't make out what it was.
Another shadow appeared where hers should have been. "What a beautiful piece, Ithilwen!" the woman's voice said in delight.
Little Ithilwen looked up and smiled, feeling accomplished. "It is a dragon, Nana!" she declared, holding it up for closer inspection.
'Dragon?' Wennie thought. 'It looks more like a fire-breathing baked potato with wings to me, but okay...' She was more interested in find out what her mother looked like, anyway.
Morwen's appearance was anticlimactic, in Wennie's opinion. Given that she didn't resemble Haldir entirely, logic would dictate that she took after her naneth more. Not that she was disappointed, of course, as Morwen did look like a more matured version of herself. 'Minus the wild hair color streaks,' she thought. 'I bet she'd be so disappointed to see my hair now...'
When the dream changed again, Wennie could barely keep the scenes straight. She got to see her grandparents, or the Lord and Lady of Lorien at the time, but they were simply her grandparents to Little Ithilwen. "Grandpa Celeborn" always hand interesting stories to tell, either to her younger self, or when all of the grandchildren were gathered together. Wennie noted with some amusement that her grandfather had what she believed were servants bring in snacks for the children during these times, no matter when the sessions were held. It wasn't like anyone was going to argue with their leader if he asked for snacks for his grandchildren right before supper.
Many of the scenes that passed her by featured excursions with Fiona, often with the older elleth coming to their home at the crack of dawn to ask if Ithilwen could come out and play. Occasionally she got to visit her other cousins in Rivendell. From the looks of things, it seemed like only Bernard was closest to the Lorien ellith in age, but Arwen was a close second. Elladan and Elrohir, though older, were no less mature at times, which Wennie learned rather quickly that the lot of them got lectured when they were together. It was nice, Wennie discovered, to be able to get a glimpse at what could have been as she was a kid.
'Unless,' she realized, seeing the signs of another shift in the dream, 'these are part of my memories?'
Wennie found herself in an inset glade this time, back in the familiar woods of Lorien, but this area looked rarely occupied by many elves. It was almost like it were a private area for selected individuals.
She turned on the spot, taking in all of the different flowers that helped build a natural barrier against wandering eyes from afar, though with who walked into the area just then, she didn't think anyone would dare spy. After all, it would be foolish to eavesdrop on the Lady of Lorien.
Galadriel always looked like some kind of angel to Wennie, from the first time she saw her in the dream. 'All she needs are the wings.' Even the simple white gown she was wearing presently looked far more intricate than it was, and she wondered if it wasn't part of her charisma that had the effect. Her grandmother glided about the glade in bare feet, coming to sit beside Little Ithilwen on one of the benches. Her younger self was kicking her legs about as they dangled over the edge, lifting the hem of her gown enough for Wennie to see she was barefoot as well. 'Must run in the family.'
"Grandpa said you wished to see me, Grandma?" Little Ithilwen asked softly.
"Indeed," Galadriel smiled. "I have a proposition for you, child. Would you like to have an adventure all on your own?"
Little Ithilwen's eyes lit up in delight and she nodded enthusiastically. "I would wish so, Grandma! Truly!"
The older woman revealed a set of parchment, quill, and ink from a bag. She set them on the forest floor before their feet, tucking the empty bag beneath the benchseat. Little Ithilwen furrowed her brows in confusion.
"What is the adventure, Grandma?"
"The adventure, penneth, is to expand your social skills," she explained. "We think that you are old enough to speak with our kin in other lands."
"But I already speak with my cousins," Ithilwen pointed out, "They are kin."
Galadriel nodded. "That is true. However, there are other elven realms aside from Imladris. You know this. I believed that you were mature enough to develop friendships with other elves outside of our realms, but if you do not wish this-"
Her expression clearly said that she was disappointed, and this didn't sit well with either Wennie or Little Ithilwen. The younger spoke up quickly, in hopes to correct her mistake. "I am mature enough, Grandma! Very mature! But...I do not understand how this is an adventure..."
When her grandmother smiled once more, Wennie felt better. "It is an adventure in that you are meeting new elves," Galadriel explained. "You will get to tell them about your life and in turn learn about theirs. It will help develop your views of the world around us to make friendships with others outside of your home. Does this sound exciting?"
Little Ithilwen nodded. "Who do I get to write to?" she asked, "I do not know anyone outside of Lorien that is not family."
"I have that taken care of, child." Galadriel ran her fingers through Little Ithilwen's loose curls. "All you will have to do is pen a letter and seal it. I will ensure that it is delivered promptly."
"What do I write about?"
"You can introduce yourself," her grandmother advised. "Write about your interests. Ask about theirs. In time you will get a response, and you keep the conversation going. It is not difficult once you begin writing, Ithilwen. After a few letters, you will hardly recall any issues you had getting started."
Wennie took a seat on one of the empty benches in the glade and watched as her younger self began to write on the parchment provided with the help of her grandmother. She couldn't read the script that Ithilwen wrote in, but occasionally she would hold up her work-in-progress and ask for help. After some time, the letter was finished, sealed and ready for a messenger to take away.
The scene changed slightly in the dream, but Wennie was confused as to why she still remained in the glade. Galadriel was sitting on the bench, as she had before, only holding what looked to be a letter in her hands. 'Is that the same one?'
Little Ithilwen came running into the glade, dressed in a small tunic and leggings. It looked as if she had been practicing her archery again. She ran forward and almost leaped into her grandmother's arms as Galadriel helped her to sit on the bench. "I heard the messenger had arrived," she said breathlessly. "Did he bring anything for me?"
"He most certainly did, child." She held the letter out to her to take. "Your first response from your new writing-friend."
The young child wasted no time in breaking the green wax seal. She unfolded the parchment and began to read out loud: "To Lady Ithilwen Haldiriel, Mae govannen, I am Legolas Thranduilion of Greenwood. It is with respect that I write to you this day, as I received your letter of introduction. Like you, I was encouraged to pen missives to other kingdoms, and I have been unsure of what to say. I thank you for the questions you have asked, as it will help me better introduce myself. I have one older sister, whom I call Tauriel. She looks more like my naneth than my adar, whom I resemble, as I have been told. I enjoy archery mostly. If my sister were like other ellith in our kingdom, I would find the news of your practice strange. I think the two of you would like each other. I am unsure of if it is proper for an elleth to practice archery, but my sister is quite skilled. How are your skills with a bow? Do you practice other forms of combat, or is archery a leisure activity you enjoy? What other things do you do for enjoyment? Do you have any siblings? I must end my letter here; it appears I am being called for the evening meal. I look forward to your next letter, Lady Ithilwen."
Wennie was stunned. Had Galadriel planned this? She didn't have time to think about that, as the amused expression of her grandmother was steadily going out of focus. Before she realized it, she was leaving the secluded glade of her grandmother's home and arriving back in real time, amid a tangle of sheets and hair.
"It wasn't a dream, was it?" she mumbled to herself. Shoving the tangled tresses out of her eyes, she scrambled to sit up and reflect on what she had seen. She saw her parents, her grandparents, and her cousins. She got to see parts of her home and her aunt and uncle's home. And then it ended with a letter from a younger Legolas, which must have started some penpal friendship? She wasn't quite certain.
The clock on the side table read 5:40 a.m., so while it was barely daybreak, she knew that she had to talk to someone, but who? Given the contents of the dream, it didn't seem right to bother Thranduil or Galion with her questions. Fiona was in New York most likely, and she needed to speak to someone face to face to explain what she went through. She considered Legolas, but she wasn't sure how to process this herself yet. There was no way she could ask him.
On instinct, her hand reached out and plucked her phone from the table. She dialed the number and waited for one of two responses; either a half-awake greeting, or a half-awake tongue-lashing.
"Hello?" The voice mumbled. It sounded like the first of the two, but it was too early to tell.
"Bernard? It's Wennie. I've got some news, and I need to talk to someone in person." She chewed her bottom lip as she glanced at Legolas' photograph, feeling guilty. "I think I got some of my memories back."
-x-x-x-x-x-
A/N: And this is where I'm going to stop the chapter! I'm really sorry about the delay in this update you guys, I really didn't expect the month to go the way it had. My math course drug well into the middle of the month, and then I had complications with my testing. Long story short, I had to upgrade my OS because of it, but I passed my class! ;) I had been trying to get motivated to start this chapter, but I guess I was too stressed most of the month. The good news is that I think I'm back where I was before November, so writing should be easier. I hope you guys have a safe New Years Eve, and I will see y'all next year!