Chapter 2- We're in Middle Earth?!
"Cierra! Did you get us into one of your fan fictions?!" Accused Tosha.
"I didn't do anything!" I shout back.
"Calm yourself." Riley added completely unfazed.
"Still. You can't deny that this is Rivendell. No place in our world looks like that." Emma crossed her arms. "Emphasis on the 'ours'."
"So what exactly happened to get us here?" Riley continues her questions.
"Magic?" I offer.
"Sounds plausible." Tosha nods.
"And who round here practices magic?" Riley asks, taking a seat on the ledge earning a quizzical glance from Tosha. "Hey, my feet hurt."
I eased myself down beside the long haired girl. "Well it could actually be a few people. Gandalf isn't the only wizard 'round here. There's Saruman and if you want to put Sauron in there you probably could. He's got magic too. I don't know if you could throw the elves on the list too, Gladriel might be powerful enough to rival Gandalf."
Tosha pats my head. "Cierra's big head is useful from time to time."
Glaring I slapped the older girl's arm.
"I told you guys she abuses me!"
"That's because you deserve it Tosha." Emma smiles.
"Anyways!" Riley coughs. "The question is, what do we do?"
"I think we should go to Rivendell." I suggest. "They should be able to help us."
"Few problems. One; we are human, they are elves. Two; we've never been to Rivendell so no connections. Three; what the hell do we tell them?" Riley points out.
I cross my arms. "Well do you have any other ideas?"
Silence followed.
"Well then, I believe we came to a consensus." Tosha laughs.
"But we can't just walk up there talking about being from another world." Emma adds.
"Well then, we'll come up with a story." Tosha decides. "Like in one of those 10th walker fan fictions."
"Gosh, I'm surprised you know the term for those." I give a little laugh. "But it might work…"
"We could use your nomad tale from your old fan fiction!" Tosha says, jumping up. "Cierra, you practically predicted this!"
"The story from freshman year?" Riley questions.
"Yeah, that one. The four of us told the fellowship we were nomads so it made sense we didn't have any ties." I explained. "It should be viable."
"Should be." Emma agrees but she still sounds a tad bit skeptical.
"Okay, but what if Gandalf is the one who brought us here and we meet him in Rivendell. What then?"
Tosha rolls her eyes. "Riley, you just gotta think everything through, don't you?"
"At all costs don't mention the movies or the books. If anyone here is going to figure out we're not from Middle Earth it will be Gandalf but we can't tell him anything. It's like a paradox and you don't want the world to collapse or anything." I explain. "Gosh, this really does sound like one of my fan fictions."
"So our story is that we're nomads but why in the world would we go to Rivendell?" Emma asks, pulling Riley back to her feet.
"We got separated from our caravan?" Suggests Tosha, pulling me up as well.
"Sounds good enough." I shrug.
So we continued on, scaling the ledge down to the path to the Elven realm. The long path only seemed to increase some of our nerves. It's one thing to come with the lies and think they will work but actually putting them to action is, simply put, nerve wracking. Or at least Emma and I were the visibly nervous ones. I simply had a hard time talking with people I didn't know. It was a problem I'd had ever since I was a kid. Nervous and antisocial. Emma was also on the quiet side, though she was making a great effort to be her happier self, the two of us were still shaking in our sneakers. Tosha and Riley on the other hand were impossible to read. I may spend most of my time with Tosh but when she wanted to keep to herself not even I could tell what she was thinking. Riley was also the master of the straight face and no one knew what that girl was thinking either. She could be plotting to murder us all and we wouldn't know until after the crime had already been committed.
Reaching the stone bridge I took a deep breath and shoved my fists deep into my pockets.
"Are we ready?" Riley questioned. Eyeing the guards standing at the other end of the bridge.
The three of us consecutively nodded so Riley started across the bridge.
"What business do you have in Rivendell?" One of the guards shouts, raising his shield in attention.
"We're lost and looking for assistance." Riley replied, automatically becoming our spokesperson.
The other guard stepped forward. "Lost from where?"
"We were separated from our caravan. Is it possible we could get some help?" Riley sounded slightly impatient.
Then a female voice cut through rustling of the trees. "Who is on the bridge?"
"Four strangers, Lady Arwen." Answered the second guard.
The elleth seemed amused as she descended from where she had been hidden. "Let them pass." She smiled across the waterway at us. "They are the guests we have been expecting."
Of course this confused us but we were all too relieved to really care. Our lives had just been made much easier.
We followed the brunette elf through the halls of Rivendell and I will admit that I cared more about the awe inspiring beauty around me than what was going to happen to us. The stone walls had vines of flowers climbing towards the sky and the river snaked through city, under pathway and thru gardens. And oh the gardens. They were absolutely beautiful beyond words. Flowers of every color shone in the rising moonlight, as dusk had come and gone, making them seem even more unearthly. I wondered slightly if the others we're as absorbed in our surroundings as I was. I looked towards Emma to find her watching every elf we passed by, each as regal and unreal as the next. I couldn't blame her though, they were stunning. Riley seemed focused on following Arwen but I caught a few of her glances at the surrounding city. Not even Riley could be completely at ease in a place such as this. And I didn't even have to look at Tosha to know she was enjoying it as well. Tolkien had been her childhood. This was her dream come true.
Arwen then brought us to a large semi-circular room with great windows looking out in all directions. Seated in the center at each end of a circular dark wooden table was Lord Elrond of Rivendell and Gandalf the grey.
Gandalf smiled at our group. "Ah, our much anticipated guests have arrived."
Lord Elrond stood, making me, the tallest in our group, feel short. "I welcome you Ladies to Rivendell."
Thankfully we all got the same idea and bowed our heads out of respect.
"I will now take my leave, for I'm sure Gandalf has much he wishes to speak to you about." The elf lord inclined his head slightly as he passed and then left with Arwen not far behind.
For a few moments the four of us stood in silence, eyeing the grey wizard sitting and smoking his pipe. Not even Riley was willing to speak up now.
The old wizard finally broke the deafening silence. "Come now, take a seat. I promise that this old man doesn't bite." He chuckled heartily, somehow soothing the atmosphere.
And we did, sitting across from him and observing the character once played by Ian Mckellen.
"I know you ladies must be wondering as to why you're here and I want to apologize for spelling you away without any warning, but Middle Earth is under a great darkness and it seems you can help us."
"So you're the one who got us into that stupid cave?" Tosha's voice held her obvious annoyance at having to wander in that cave for three torturous hours.
"Unfortunately yes. The spell I used should have brought you straight to Rivendell but there was some… interference and you were dropped somewhere in the vicinity."
Tosha's anger continued, "And what gives you the right to be working magic on us?"
"Well," Gandalf started with a puff of his pipe. "The particular spell I used was to summon a guide for a task that will soon be at hand. It is to find someone with certain qualities, skills or knowledge that will be useful for said task. I do not choose who is summoned nor how many. I was surprised to find it summoned four."
"And what is this task?" Emma asks quietly, even though all four of us are positive we already know the answer.
"The Ring must be taken to Mordor and destroyed." He answered ominously.
"The Ring as in the one ring of power?" I question. "The ring forged in the fires of Mt. Doom to control all other rings of power?"
The wizard nodded grimly.
"And how exactly are we supposed to help with that?" Tosha questioned, obviously as surprised as the rest of us.
"That's what I'd like you four to tell me."
We looked at each other, wondering what exactly we were able to do that could help. The only knowledge we had of middle earth was from the books and movies and we knew we absolutely couldn't tell them about that.
"Well, in all honestly, sir, we don't even know where exactly we are." Riley started. I guess we were giving up the nomad story. Gandalf would know the truth about our origins. "There aren't wizards and magic where we come from and the Ring of power is only a scary story."
Gandalf set down his pipe, leaning forward slightly in his chair. Riley's new information obviously had sparked some interest. "And what exactly is your world called? Because it's obvious I brought you from quiet far away."
"Umm... earth?" Emma answered.
Gandalf took a moment to think, stroking his scraggly beard a bit which earned a snicker from Tosha to which I responded with a good elbow to the side.
"I believe that you children are telling the truth."
Tosha shot a death glare at the wizard. "We're not children."
This elicited a good chuckle from the wizard. "You seem awfully young to me."
"I'm 18, I'm no child. I'm a legal adult." She seethed.
I suppressed a giggle, Tosha may be the oldest but she was not adult-like in the slightest.
"Excuse you, miss baby." Tosha shot back while delivering an elbow to my side.
"I beg your pardon but I have a month on Emma." I added, folding my arms in triumph.
"Anyways…" Emma started trying to get us back on track.
"Yes. Well, like I was saying. I believe that you are telling the truth. It surprises me that someone from another world would be summoned to our aid but I do not doubt that you four possess something that can help us. Will you be willing to help our world stay out of the clutches of darkness?"
"Well, we're here now. I don't see much of a choice." I looked to my friends sitting with me. "I think we will help to the best of our abilities." My three friends nodded in agreement.
"Middle Earth thanks you."
"So who exactly are we going to help destroy the Ring?" Questions Emma, trying to hold back the excitement in her voice.
"That has not been decided yet. Lord Elrond, the master of Rivendell, whom you met earlier, has called a meeting of all the free men of Middle Earth, to decide the fate of the Ring. The only option is to destroy the cursed thing so we will find out soon who exactly the task will fall upon."
We all nodded, satisfied with his answer, which helped us figure out exactly where in the timeline we were. Sometime after Frodo had come to Rivendell with Arwen but before the secret council had taken place.
"But right now I am interested to know more about you. We have not been properly introduced either." Gandalf started, switching topics rather quickly. "You know I am Gandalf the grey."
Riley started introductions. "I'm Riley, this is Tosha, Cierra and Emma."
"It's honor to meet you four." He smiled politely. "But I'm interested to know more about this other world of yours."
"We wouldn't know what to tell you." Tosha replied.
"Well then, what of your strange clothes? I have not seen a woman in anything but a dress here."
Looking across the four of us made me realize how strange we did look to them. Seeing us dressed in heavy winter coats and jeans among the elvish scenery showed the stark contrast between our worlds.
"Well pants are easier to move around and work in." Tosha shrugged.
"Women still wear dresses and skirts." I add "But pants are more common."
Before the old wizard could continue his questioning Emma let out a small yawn, which I caught as well.
"I see you have all had a long day. I will leave you to rest for we can talk more tomorrow. Rooms have been prepared for you so rest well." The old wizard tipped his grey hat to us and disappeared into the halls of Rivendell.
Moments later Arwen appeared in the doorway and motioned for us to follow. "Come and you can rest easy tonight."
We did as we were told and followed her past more gardens and sights. She pointed a few things out to us, telling us their names or what to find down each path but I was too tired to pay attention at this point. We eventually came to the end of a hall that rounded out with quite a few doors to choose from.
"You will have food brought in the morning and have a bath drawn. And if you wish we can have some more suitable clothes be brought as well." Arwen added the last part tentatively, as if not to offend us.
Emma and I looked to each other and shrugged. "If it's not too much trouble."
Arwen smiled kindly. "Of course not."
"Ah, no dresses for us." Riley interrupted, referring to Tosha and herself. "Please." She added.
"Of course." Arwen thankfully didn't seem put off by our tomboyish friends' request. "I will have something else prepared for you."
"Thank you." I lowered my head respectfully.
"No thanks needed. Just rest well and I will come to collect you in the morning." And then she was gone.
"We'll talk in the morning." Tosha decided with a yawn.
"I second that motion." I started towards one of the doors. "Goodnight ya'll."
"Night."
I slipped into the room and sleepily admired its beauty. The windows on the far side of the room looked over the gorgeous river valley. The bed was under the picturesque view and was so tempting but I held off. On the adjacent wall sat a vanity set. On it was a shallow jewelry dish in which I deposited my four earrings, ring and charm bracelet. Next to it was small pitcher and basin which I assumed was for washing because there was a white towel next to it. I didn't care too much about washing my face, I just wanted to get rid of my makeup so I wouldn't have raccoon eyes tomorrow. So I quickly splashed myself with the cool water and rubbed off my makeup, wishing I had makeup remover in my fat bag, which through everything I still had with me.
With a sigh I sat on the edge of the bed and tossed off my purple vans then pulled the belt off my jeans and got rid of my jacket and sweater so that I was only in socks, jeans and my camisole. Leaning back against the pillows I felt like I was in heaven. I drew the soft sheets over me and let sleep take me.
Thanks for all the faves and such on the last chapter. I'm ecstatic that people are still reading this old story.
Minionloverforever: Hope this chapter was up to your expectations and I know it's a bit weird, changing the cast. Having a boy in the group did balance everything out but this story is true to our normal personalities and such, so Jeff's not really our closest of friends anymore means the cast had to be changed. But there will be a boy in the group, I wouldn't go without one! I hope you continue to read though, and thank you so much for taking the time to comment, they mean the world to me!
~Crystal