Title: How Does It Feel (37/?)
Author: palephoenix (palephoenix(underscore)6(at)yahoo.ca)
Genre: LOTR FP-het
Pairing: Legolas/OFC
Rating: PG for now...
Warning: Mary Sue... I'm in a Mary Sue mood... I can't fathom why anyone who doesn't like Mary Sues would read a fic clearly labelled as such... But apparently some have... -rolls her eyes- When you review telling me my story sucks because it's a Mary Sue all you end up doing is giving me my good laugh of the day.
Disclaimer: Not for profit, purely for entertainment purposes. The characters belong to Tolkien and the actors belong to themselves. I'm just borrowing them. I don't know the actors; if I did I wouldn't be writing this... I'd be keeping Orlando in my bed for the next five years.
Feedback: pretty please with Orlando on top???
Notes: Eilish is pronounced 'eye-lish'... As far as I know it is the Irish version of Elizabeth... As in previous chapters, words in italics are in elvish, with the translation at the end of the paragraph. I've decided to meld the movies and the book more in the next few chapters. Some dialogue (and only dialogue) is taken directly, word for word, from the book. BTW, a 'sennight' is another word for a week. It's 'seven night' shortened. And a fortnight is two weeks: 'fourteen night'.
Summary: Labour and delivery nurse Eilish Bell is in a car accident and finds herself thrown into Middle Earth.
Chapter 37
The heavy doors of the hall creaked open and the Company entered the shadowy building. They came into the main room of the hall, past a large wood-fire. At the far end of the hall, in chair on the dais, sat an man, badly bent with age. Behind the chair stood a golden-haired woman in a white dress. At the elderly man's feet, on the steps, sat a pale, shrunken man. Eilish made a face and edged closer to Legolas.
"Hail, Theoden son of Thengel! I have returned. For behold! the storm comes, and now all friends should gather together, lest each singly be destroyed," Gandalf spoke up, loudly and clearly.
Theoden slowly stood, leaning heavily on a cane. "I greet you," He said, "And maybe you look for welcome. But truth to tell your welcome is doubtful here, Master Gandalf. You have ever been a herald of woe. I will not deceive you: when I heard that Shadowfax had come back riderless, I rejoiced at the return of the horse, but still more at the lack of the rider; and when Eomer brought the tidings that you had gone at last to your long home, I did not mourn. But news from afar is seldom sooth. Here you come again! And with you come evils worse than before, as might be expected. Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow? Tell me that."
"Can't keep a good wizard down," Eilish shot back tartly.
"You speak justly, my lord," The greasy little man that was Wormtongue spoke, shooting Eilish a dirty look. "It is not yet five days since the bitter tidings came that Theodred your son was slain upon the West Marches: your right-hand, Second Marshall of the Mark. In Eomer there is little trust. Few men would be left to guard you walls, if he had been allowed to rule. And even now we learn from Gondor that the Dark Lord is stirring in the East. Such is the hour in which this wanderer chooses to return. Why indeed should we welcome you, Master Stormcrow? Lathspell I name you, Ill-news; and ill news is an ill guest they say." He laughed smugly, his gaze moving over the Company.
"And you know all about ill guests, huh? Takes one to know one, doesn't it?" Eilish said darkly, levelling cold blue eyes at the man. "And Theoden would be damn lucky to have more men like Eomer."
Gandalf shot her a look and she quieted. "You are held wise, my friend Wormtongue, and are doubtless a great support to your master," Gandalf spoke up. "Yet in two ways may a man come with evil tidings. He may be a worker of evil; or he may be such as leaves well alone, and come only to bring aid in time of need."
"That is so, but there is a third kind: pickers of bones, meddlers in other men's sorrows, carrion-fowl that grow fat on war. What aid have you ever brought, Stormcrow? And what aid do you bring now? It was aid from us that you sought last time that you were here. Then my lord bade you choose any horse that you would and be gone; and to the wonder of all you took Shadowfax in your insolence," Wormtongue replied. "My lord was sorely grieved; yet to some it seemed that to speed you from the land the price was not too great. I guess that it is likely to turn out the same once more: you will seek aid rather than render it. Do you bring men? Do you bring horses, swords, spears? That I would call aid; that is our present need. But who are these that follow at your tail?" He went on. "Five ragged wanderers in grey, and you yourself the most beggar-like of the five!"
"Speak for yourself, you greasy little worm!" Eilish burst out, her red-headed Irish temper getting the better of her. "You know nothing about us! So unless you want to get into a sparring match with me, you better keep your dirty mouth shut!"
"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Theoden son of Thengel," Gandalf spoke. "Has not the messenger from your gate reported the names of my companions? Seldom has any lord of Rohan received such guests. Weapons they have laid at your doors that are worth many a mortal man, even the mightiest. Grey is their raiment, for the Elves clad them, and thus they have passed through the shadow of great perils to your hall."
"Then it is true, as Eomer reported, that you are in league with the Sorceress of the Golden Wood?" Wormtongue said. "It is not to be wondered at: webs of deceit were ever woven in Dwimordene."
Gimli's eyes narrowed in anger and he made a step forward, before Gandalf's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"In Dwimordene, in Lorien
Seldom have walked the feet of Men,
Few mortal eyes have seen the light
That lies there ever, long and bright.
Galadriel! Galadriel!
Clear is the water of your well;
White is the star in your white hand;
Unmarred, unsustained is leaf and land
In Dwimordene, in Lorien
More fair than thoughts of Mortal Men." Gandalf sang softly, then suddenly, his whole demeanour changed. He threw aside his old grey cloak, standing up straight, no longer leaning on his staff.
"The wise speak only of what they know, Grima son of Galmod. A witless worm you have become. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a serving-man till the lightning falls," Gandalf spoke in a cold, clear voice. He raised his staff and at that moment there was a roll of thunder and the sunlight was gone. The fire died, casting darkness through the hall. Only Gandalf could be seen, standing before the hearth, tall and white.
"Did I not counsel you, lord, to forbid his staff? That fool, Hama, has betrayed us!" Wormtongue's voice hissed in the dark.
There was a blinding flash, like lightening, and Grima Wormtongue lay sprawled, face-down on the stone floor.
"Now Theoden son of Thengel, will you hearken to me?" Gandalf asked. "Not all is dark. No counsel have I to give to those that despair. Yet counsel I could give, and words I could speak to you. Will you hear them? They are not for all ears. I bid you come out before your doors and look abroad. Too long have you sat in shadows and trusted to twisted tales and crooked promptings."
Theoden got to his feet slowly and with help from Eowyn he crossed the hall to the doors. Gandalf knocked on the doors and called for them to be opened for the King. The doors swung open immediately.
"Send your guards to the stairs' foot," Gandalf spoke to the king. "And you, lady, leave him a while with me. I will care for him."
The king spoke to his niece, reassuring her that he was well, and she re-entered the hall. She stopped in the doorway, wordlessly watching the king. Suddenly she became aware of the Company in the hall, namely Aragorn. She stood motionless for a moment, then turned quickly to leave.
"Eowyn!" Eilish called. "Wait!" She turned to Legolas. "'Lass, I'm going to make sure she's okay. I'll see you guys later, 'kay?" She kissed Legolas goodbye, then walked down the hall to where Eowyn had halted. -leaf-
"Hi," Eilish said when she caught up with the Shieldmaiden. "I'm Eilish Bell."
"Of course, my brother spoke of you," Eowyn said quietly.
"Could I hang out with you?" Eilish asked. "If I'm stuck in the company of only men for a minute longer I'm going to go nuts! I haven't even seen another woman since we left Lothlorien."
Eowyn managed a smile and gestured for Eilish to follow. The two women walked down the hallway, stopping when they reached a door. Eowyn opened the door and motioned Eilish inside. The room clearly belonged to Eowyn.
"Lady Eilish, would you like to bathe before you rejoin your companions?" Eowyn asked.
"I will be your best friend forever!" Eilish said enthusiastically. "I'm probably smelling a little too ripe for Legolas' elven nose," She giggled. "And you can just call me Eilish, I'm not lady of anything."
Eowyn smiled again, then left to order hot water for the bath. When she returned she dug around in a chest at the foot of the bed and drew out another gown, pale blue. "Would you like to change your clothing as well?" She asked, eyeing Eilish's rather grass-stained jeans. "I believe this would fit you."
"Oh, that would be great," Eilish said gratefully. "I feel so grubby."
There was a knock on the door a short time later and when Eowyn opened it two men carried in a washtub full of steaming water. They set it down left, nodding to Eowyn politely.
"I will leave so you may bathe in peace," Eowyn told her and started toward the door.
"Oh! No, stay... chat... Please?" Eilish begged. "Stay and talk with me?"
Eowyn agreed and after locking the door, came and took a seat on the bed while Eilish stripped off her dirty clothes and stepped into the bath.
"Oh, that feels so good," She sighed, her muscles aching from the long, rough ride to Edoras. "I haven't had a proper bath since Lorien, either."
"When did you leave the Golden Wood?" Eowyn asked curiously.
"Uh, I think it's more than a fortnight, now," Eilish told her as she wet her hair. "And about a week since we left Emyn Muil."
"You travelled that distance in a sennight?" Eowyn asked, her eyes wide.
"Actually, it was only four and a half days," Eilish said, lathering her hair with the shampoo Eowyn handed her. "We spend almost a day searching for our lost hobbit friends, then Gandalf found us. We rode almost straight to Edoras after that. I'm completely exhausted. And I'm not used to riding, so I am very sore."
"Where do you hail from, Eilish?" Eowyn asked. "I do not recognize your clothing and your speech is strange to me."
"Well, that's a little tricky," Eilish said. "I'm not from anywhere you have ever heard of. This will sound very strange, but I'm not from Middle Earth. I'm from another place and time. I was in an accident and found myself here. In my own world I died. But Lady Galadriel believes the Valar brought me here for some purpose. They dropped me in Legolas' path, that much is certain. He found me as he travelled to Rivendell to bring news to Lord Elrond."
Eowyn was quiet and Eilish took advantage and rinsed the shampoo from her hair. Mutely, Eowyn handed her a towel which she wrapped around her soaking hair.
"Elrond and Gandalf decided I should accompany Aragorn and Legolas and our other companions and go to Lothlorien to speak to Galadriel," Eilish went on, taking up a soft cloth and running it over her skin. "It was a difficult journey. We were forced to pass through Moria, where Gandalf fell fighting a Balrog. We went on without him, to Lothlorien, where I was able to speak to Galadriel. I looked in her mirror and saw my death in my own world. We left Lorien by the River a fortnight past. Upon Emyn Muil our companion, Boromir of Gondor, was killed by Orcs and our hobbit friends taken prisoner. We ran from Emyn Muil in less than five days to try and rescue them. We met your brother on the plains and he lent Arod and Hasufel to us."
"A long journey you have had," Eowyn said, finally breaking her silence. "And difficult, indeed."
"Yeah," Eilish sighed, and after taking the offered towel from Eowyn, stepped out of the water, wrapped tightly in the towel. She dug in her pack and found her last clean underthings and slipped them on after she dried herself. Eowyn stood then and helped her into the pale blue gown. Once laced into it Eilish dug around in her pack again and came up with her hairbrush. She took the towel from her head and began to brush the tangles from her long red locks.
"Eilish, may I ask you something?" Eowyn said hesitantly.
"Sure," Eilish replied.
"Your companion, the Elf, you are his wife?"
"Legolas? Oh, no, we're not married," Eilish said quickly. "At least, not yet. But we are... together," She paused, thinking. "Oh, man, I have to get this off my chest. I hope you don't mind me confiding in you." Eowyn shook her head. "Well, he... he loves me... and I love him, too. But I haven't told him, because I can't help but worry about something. I mean, obviously, he's immortal and I'm not. And there is no way I'm going to let him give that up for me," She sat down on the bed, with a deep sigh. "I don't know what to do."
Eowyn took the hair brush from Eilish's limp hand and finished detangling the long red hair. The shimmering locks were soon dry in the warm room and Eowyn pulled strands from Eilish's face and pinned them at the back of her head. "I have no advice to offer you, beyond that it is most often best to follow your heart," Eowyn said softly.
"I suppose you're right," Eilish sighed. "In the end, I doubt I could stop Legolas from doing it if he was bound and determined to. But, I'm honestly afraid of what might happen if I do tell him. Things may end up altered for the worse as it is, just by my being here. I don't want to do anything or have Legolas do something in response that might ruin things even further, like, Valar forbid, have Legolas be distracted and get hurt, or worse. I don't want him to have to go on without me, but I don't think I could go on without him, either. Actually, I know I couldn't. Not when I wouldn't even have a part of him left to hold onto."
Eowyn looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Uh, well, Galadriel gave me a special... herb concoction so Legolas and I don't end up with a baby before we're ready for one."
"You are... intimate?" Eowyn asked, blushing.
"Only twice," Eilish told her, her cheeks flushing a little. "He was my first. It was right after I looked in Galadriel's mirror and found out I died in my world. I saw my family mourning. I was so upset; almost hysterical. Legolas had to carry me to the talan we were staying in, I couldn't walk. That was the first time he told me he loved me. And I realized that, no matter how much I tried to pretend otherwise, I loved him, too. And I needed to feel something other than pain; I needed him to take the pain away. He did," She said simply.
"We do not become intimate until marriage," Eowyn said shyly.
"It used to be like that in my world. But now we have ways to prevent pregnancy and it's not considered a bad thing to be with someone you love," Eilish told her. "I'm glad Galadriel gave me the contraceptive. I was worried about getting pregnant in the middle of this war. And frankly, I'm pretty damn scared of having a baby here. In my world we have medicines for the pain of childbirth. And a special procedure to deliver a baby that cannot come the usual way. And I mean, I may be a midwife, and I know ways of making it easier, but even the easiest labour still going to be a painful experience."
"You are a midwife?" Eowyn asked, intrigued. "I have assisted the midwives in births."
"It's a pretty amazing thing to be involved in, isn't it?"
"Oh yes," Eowyn agreed.
"Well, now that I'm all clean," Eilish stood up, and found her makeup bag in her pack. With Eowyn watching curiously, she curled her eye lashes and applied a little mascara and lip gloss.
"Oh man, it feels so good to be wearing makeup again," She sighed, replacing the bag in her pack. "I haven't worn any since before we left Rivendell. It's been strange for me, since I'm used to wearing it every day for work."
"What is 'makeup'?" Eowyn asked.
"It's mostly just to add a little colour to your face. Like mascara is to darken your eye lashes to make your eyes more visible. All in all it plays up on features that are more noticeable when you're... uh... intimate. It appeals to men," Eilish said rolling her eyes. "But it can also make you look younger or older. I look younger than my age when I don't wear any."
"How old are you, Eilish?" Eowyn asked.
"I'm 23 years old. How about you?"
"I am 26 years," Eowyn replied.
"Jeez, I feel young lately. Even the youngest hobbit of our company is older than me," Eilish giggled. "Legolas is almost 3000 years old," She confided.
Eowyn's eyes were wide. "Truly?"
"Yep," Eilish grinned. "And speaking of my elf, do you think the men will be done yakking by now?"
"I believe they should be," Eowyn answered. "Let us go see."