AU: So... long time no see. Heh. Sorry about that. School hit me like a ton of bricks. Anyway! I'm here now. So I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. I am not dropping this story. I have so much planned out it could be made into a three parter movie! In other words, I've come too far to turn back now! XD So buckle up and enjoy the ride!

DISCLAIMER: I do not earn any money from this literary composition. The property of Lotr does not belong to me (even though I wish it did) The only thing I own are my OCs.

.oOo.

Seeing the Truth

Within my ancient heart dwells, madness and pride.

Can no one hear my cry?

~Fire Emblem Fates

.oOo.

Lying in a black void... with nothing but my thoughts around me.

'Insane.'

'I am insane.'

'I've lost it.'

'My grief has broken me.'

'No.'

'That cannot be it.'

'It has to be something else.'

'A dream?'

'Yes!'

'This is a dream.'

'It has to be.'

'It will all go away once I open my eyes.'

'Michael, Lewis, and William... they didn't really die.'

'I'm in my bed asleep.'

'All I have to do is open my eyes... and this nightmare will be over.'

My eyes slid open and I found myself staring up at the ceiling of my room. The gentle blue walls embraced me in peace as I immediately sat up and looked around. Everything was accounted for. My sheet music was on the corner table, and my easel next to the window with a newly finished painting standing against it. My bookshelf was still overflowing with books, and my nightstand still held the two pictures of my family.

My family.

I stood and ran out of my room and jumped down the stairs where I nearly collided with my parents. Overwhelmed with joy I immediately hugged both of them, "Mom! Dad!"

"Well aren't you full of energy today." Dad said as he ruffled my hair.

I ducked out of his reach and back into the living room where I bumped into a firm figure, "Well where's my hug, sunshine?"

I whipped around and gasped in shock, "Lewis?" I looked around the room and saw my two other brothers standing a little behind him, "Michael? Will... William!" My face burst into a joyous grin as I launched myself at my siblings. Tears streamed down my face as I was accepted into their arms.

Lewis stepped away from the group hug first and looked at me with an amused smile, "What's wrong with you? We haven't been gone that long."

"Yes, you have!" I cried back.

"Aww." he said before giving me another hug. "Well come on you cry baby. Mom has breakfast ready! I hear it's pancakes today." he added in a whisper before letting me loose.

I happily complied as I walked back to the dining room. Will handed me a tissue which I thank him for before drying my eyes. I sat down at my place and mom began passing the plate of pancakes around the table. I finished my plate in record time and started to drag my brothers out the door.

"Why do I have to go?" Michael said as I tugged on his arm.

"Because..." I huffed, "we haven't played tag since Christmas!"

"But that's a kids game." he calmly said while resisting my pull without doing anything.

"You... still... are a kid!"

"Oh come on!" Lewis exclaimed before ramming Michael's back making him stumble forward and inadvertently making me fall backwards onto my backside.

"Ow! Lewis!" I yelled.

"What? I was helping!" he said while trying to hold in his laughter.

I glared at him as I quickly got up onto my feet to chase him out of the front door with Michael and Will following a little behind.

"Ella's it!" Lewis shouted at them while dodging my efforts to tag him.

Then as if on some sort of cue all three of my brothers ran into the forest surrounding our house. I, of course, immediately ran in after them but as soon as I stepped within the tree line everything changed. I halted when I lost track of Lewis and looked around. Nothing looked the same. Everything was drenched in shadow even though it was morning.

"Lewis?" I called into the shadows. "Michael? Will?" I yelled as I became increasingly unnerved.

I began cautiously walking through the forest, "Wh... where are you guys?" I said as I looked around trying to find something that was familiar.

"You're really scaring me. Where are you!" my voice was shaking now.

My steps became increasingly fast, "Lewis! Michael! William!"

I was running now; jumping over logs and ducking under low hanging limbs I searched for anything that might point me home.

I burst into a clearing and bent over with relief when I saw my brothers joking with each other. I stood upright and jogged over to them, "There you are! I thought I lost you..."

I froze in my steps as they turned to face me. My mouth went dry as Will spoke, "You did."

A soldier stepped out of the woods behind them, raised his gun and fired. "No no no!" my tortured mind screamed as my brothers collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap.

"NO!" I cried from my sleep, sitting up to clutch my head in the agony of my grief. At that moment I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jerked around and was immediately filled with fear when I saw the Derali crouching beside me.

"Get away from me." I yelled as I launched myself up onto my feet and away from the murderer. Dizzy and disoriented, my back immediately hit the trunk of a tree and I gripped it hard to stable myself.

The silver haired Derali raised his hands in a sign of peace and made a hand signal to himself then to me, "Do not be afraid. I will not hurt you." He remained on the ground while I stayed silent on my feet a yard away. After a few moments of silence between us both he grew anxious and spoke again, "My name is Silvius. What is your name?" he asked timidly.

I opened my mouth but nothing came from my lips. Every fiber of my being was telling me to run and never look back, but out of shock I stayed rooted to the spot as strongly as the tree behind me. I swallowed and forced my voice to work, "Eleanor."

"Elanor." he said to himself before looking back at me in slight confusion, "Like the flower?"

My heart froze, 'The flower. Could he be talking about the one in Lothlorien? Is he a fan of Tolkien's work too? Is that why he has pointed ears and long hair?' My hold on the tree lessened as my mind, rattled from shock, honed in on what he had said to try and regain my grip on reality, "Do you mean the one in Lothlorien?"

His dark blue eyes lightened up as his face broke into a dazzling smile, "Yes! You know of the West?"

I nodded, not sure how to respond to his sudden happiness.

He grinned as he sprung up from his crouched position, "I knew you were different!" His actions startled me and I immediately broke out of my frozen state and retreated behind the tree. His smile faltered when he saw the fear return in my eyes.

"I am sorry." he said to me, "I did not mean to scare you."

A sudden question sprang into my head then, "Was it you that tuned the piano?"

"Yes." he smiled, "I got your note." he then added in English, "You welcome."

I narrowed my eyes at him, shocked but determined to keep my cool, "Where did you learn English?" He looked American but his speech was broken up and was very limited.

"Inglesh?" he said confused before continuing in Braric, "That language was... Westron."

'Westron? No. This can't be.' My mind was immediately thrown back to the conclusion of the night before, 'Insane. A dream. Reality. Which is it?' I couldn't be in Middle-earth. That's impossible. So it must be insanity that I am experiencing right now. What else could it be?

"Are you alright?" he asked with a concerned look.

I shook my head, "No." taking my first real look at the Derali before me. His features were perfect. His skin was pale and flawless; he seemed to glow with a light of his own, like he was radioactive. It wasn't natural. And his eyes, how in the world can a galaxy can fit around an iris? They were dark blue and purple with shards of clear blue. His hair was not just any dull silver, it shone like the stars. His clothes were light blue with silver embroidery, except for his midnight blue boots which were decorated with the same silver thread. My eyes rose back up his frame to his chest where I saw a brooch of silver. It was an intricate weaving of tendrils that reminded me of a Celtic knot. It had a single blue gem in the center but when I looked closer I saw that it was a blue, fire opal. From his high cheek bones and his pointed ears to the way he carried himself, every one of his features screamed Elf.

I shakily pointed a finger at him, forgetting to speak in Braric, "You... you're an elf... aren't you?" Luckily he understood and spoke back to me in English after tilting his head a little, "Yes. Yes, I am. Why you ask?"

The question had barely exited his mouth before I turned away from him mumbling to myself, "No, no, no, no. This can't be right. Elves aren't real. He must have had surgery to look like one! Yes, that's it. But that doesn't explain the Easterlings. No where in my world studies class have I ever heard of Easterlings except in Middle-earth. This can't be happening. I can't be in Middle-earth."

"But you are." Silvius stated from behind me in Braric.

I whirled around on him, "What did you... just say?"

He scrunched his eyebrows together as he repeated the sentence that put the final nail in my coffin, "You are in Middle-earth."

I stumbled backwards in shock, 'No.' my thought whispered. 'How did I get here? Why me?' "How will I ever get home?" I said aloud in my language as I felt Silvius lead me to sit beside the tree.

"Where your home?" he asked from my right.

I began to cry as I realized that he wouldn't know where it was, "Far away from here. You wouldn't know it."

"Name?" he pressed.

"America." I said in a choked sob.

He sighed, then continued in Braric, "You are right. I know not your home."

I bowed my head into my hands and I soon felt his hand of comfort on my shoulder, "Come."

I looked up at him with tears streaming down my face and saw him hold out his hand to me. I choked back my tears and hesitantly took his hand. He easily pulled me to my feet and led me back to his campsite where he picked up his cloak off the ground and placed it around my shoulders, "You look cold."

"I'm not actually cold..." I weakly protested as I started to remove his cloak but he cut me off and pulled the cloak back onto my shoulders. "You look cold." he repeated before grabbing a familiar looking pack off the ground and gesturing me to follow him.

'I guess elves don't like it when their hospitality is rejected.' I numbly thought as I walked after him through the forest.

We walked in silence for a while before coming up on the ancient ruin I had come to visit so often. I stopped in my tracks as memories of the past night flooded my mind. Silvius standing over the lifeless man with a bloody dagger in his elvish hand.

"Come, Elanor!" Silvius called cheerfully from the inner steps of the palace. 'This is my chance.' I thought to myself, 'He's far enough away now that I could run and possibly make it out of here without him catching me. But do I really have any need of fearing him?' I debated, 'He did save my life last night.

'By killing another person mind you'

'What if it was an accident? It was in self defense! Those men were fixing to kidnap us both.'

'But still, did it really warrant bloodshed?'

'Maybe, but what he did, saved us both. I can trust him.'

With my mind made up I continued my walk towards the ruins. When I stepped into the great hall I found Silvius at the piano playing a pretty song.

I immediately looked on the floor but saw no trace of the blood that was spilled the night before. A part of me sighed but the other wondered how there could be no trace left behind. Silvius saw me staring at the floor and quit playing to stand. He spoke to me in Braric, "I am sorry about what happened last night. Those men were soldiers of the evil one of the south."

"The evil one of the south?" I turned to him for confirmation, "Do you mean Sauron?-"

"Do not speak his name here!" he exclaimed wide eyed, "His spies roam every part of this earth, even my grandfathers' domain."

I looked at him confused, "Your grandfather's dominion?"

"Yes. They are the leaders of the Avari, as we are called by the elves of the West. Our king is Eol my grandfather's father." he informed.

"Whoa... How old are you?" I asked in my curious state, glad that the conversation distracted me from harsh reality.

He smiled, "One hundred and forty-eight"

"Wow. You're old." I stated bluntly.

He laughed, "You may think so, but to my elders I am still young and inexperienced. I have much to learn of the world still."

"Doesn't everyone?" I asked with a smile and raised brow.

He smiled, "I suppose so."

"Speaking of knowing things. How do you know Westron if you haven't been to the west?"

"Through my great grandfather's books. He has penned down many things including some of the Western tongue. I have learned all that he has put down, but since hearing you speak, I have learned there are many more words that I do not know. If you would be willing, would you teach me your toung?"

I smiled at his humble request, "Of course, but on one condition."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "I am listening."

"My condition is that you teach me your language in return." I stated, if I'm really here in Middle Earth I might as well enjoy myself before I wake up.

His eyes grew wide, "You want to learn Quenya?"

I smiled and nodded.

"But I thought humans weren't interested in the ways of elves." he said confused.

"Well, I don't know about the others but this human sure is interested!" I exclaimed.

"Good! When shall we begin?" he asked excitedly.

It was only then that I saw the sun had rose high into the sky, 'Darcy and her parents are going to be so worried! I should probably go back.'

"How about we meet here tomorrow afternoon? I need to get back to my friend. She's probably really worried right now." I told him.

He nodded in understanding, "I will see you then, lady Elanor." I gave a short laugh as he flourished a bow before me. I grinned as I curtsied back and said goodbye before turning away and walking down the path.

"Oh! Wait!" Silvius' voice made me halt in my steps as he jogged up to me, "You dropped this last night."

I gasped as I took it from him, "My pack! Thank you." I smiled up at him.

"You are welcome." he smiled before walking away into the woods.

I sighed another smiled before heading back to the small town I had come to know as my second home.

.oOo.

As I approached the house Cardia ran to me from the garden and enveloped me in a hard embrace, "Elanor! Oh we thought we lost you!" She pulled out of the hug and looked at me top to bottom, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" then embraced me again, "Don't you ever do this again! We were so grieved when we found you gone this morning. Where did you go? Why did you leave?"

She let me out of her grasp a little so I could speak, "I had to find the Derali, but I almost got kidnapped in the process. The Derali sav-"

"Elanor!" Kelvin's yell came from behind us, "Where have you been?" His face was filled with remorse.

"Those Derali tried to take Elanor away!" Cardia explained before I could.

Kelvin clenched his fist, "It's about time we take them down. You shouldn't have gone after them, Elanor! They are dangerous monsters."

I broke away from Cardia, "No no no! It wasn't them! They aren't dangerous. I was almost taken by the mercenaries from town but a Derali saved me."

Kelvin lowered his fist, "Is this true?"

"Do you think I would lie to you?"

"No. You have no reason to." he muttered. "But I'm having a hard time believing that the Derali would save anyone. They have done nothing in the past to show their honor."

"They have done nothing to condemn them either." I countered finding it ironic that I was now defending the same person that I had called a monster just the night before.

Kelvin gazed into my eyes for a long while after that statement. He seemed to notice something about me for the first time, and what that something was, I have no clue.

About that time I heard running coming from behind me and barely turned around in time before Darcy had engulfed me in a tear filled embrace, "Elanor! Please don't leave again!" Then in a choked whisper, "You didn't even say goodbye."

I hugged her back, "Darcy, I'm not leaving." I pulled back from her a little, "I mean... I was leaving before, but now... now I'm not. I'm sorry I worried you."

She wiped away her tears and smiled a little, "I'm just glad your back."

"Me too."