disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Chapter 2
Ring.
Two rings.
"Hi, you have reached Dr. Patel's office. He's not in right now, but you can leave a message after the beep. If it's urgent we'll have one of our resident psychologists under Dr. Patel's mentoring to get back with you for your patience.-Beep."
Glancing around her, Alex sat with back rigid. Taking a meticulous inventory of the people seated facing her and Paul. Four small men, with curly hair ranging from dark brown to dirty blonde with childlike features sat staring at her. Their faces held confusion and wonder.
Beside them, sat an old man with pointy grey beard and hat, a pipe dangling from his lips as he studied her with kind eyes with a hint of humor. A small dwarf like man stood on the opposite side of the four 'hobbits' his weight leaned partially on his axe about the same size as him, his face however was a mask of indifference. Off to his far left, a man with reddish brown hair, sat, his eyes calculating. His distrust clear in his features. And finally, beside the old man, was Aragorn, his features clearly showed fondness and familiarity. His hair longer almost covering his eyes, his clothing was still the same, but the years have done him justice. His built looked firmer compared to the almost scrawny teenager she met when she was five.
Turning back to the mobile phone on the hand, her attention was caught on the loud beep after the nasally message she just received,
"Hi Dr. Isaac Patel? this is Alex. um, Alex Townsend," swallowing she continued noting that the bizarre group had their attention solely on her, "yes, if you could just give me call, I would really appreciate it this time." Her voice held desperation and verging on tears, she tried to swallow again, her throat almost closing up, her hand turning white as it clenched the phone, "You know that thing that didn't really happen, on a place that was not really real with people that were only just imaginary?" Only silence greeted her on the other end of the line, "well, God, um, I am having another episode about it now actually, " her habit of playing with her hair and scratching her right ear suddenly resurfaced, "and I am in that place, and it feels real- which is weird because I am getting reception here -even though this place is not real."glancing at the phone in her hand one more time before returning to the call, "I think I need to double my dosage. Please give me a call I would really appreciate your interpretation on this ASAP." Ending the call on Paul's phone, she nervously glanced at the people around her.
She noticed Paul doing the same, only with wonder and awe.
"Alex.."Aragorn started, this time calmly, not wanting her to faint again.
"This is not real, you are not real. This cannot be happening." Alex muttered to herself,
"My lady, I can assure you, we are very much real. And You are very much here." The old man looking entirely too pleased with himself and trying to hold a laugh. His mirth at their current predicament shining in his eyes.
"Alex, look at me" grabbing at her arms, turning her to face Paul, "calm down, relax. I believe you." Nodding his head to get his point across, his friend had obviously been telling the truth this entire time! "Inhale, exhale" demonstrating the action, breathing in through his nose and releasing the air through his mouth, thanking whoever is watching that Alex was copying what he was doing.
"How long was I out?" Alex got out in between breaths,
"A couple of hours, it's almost morning now, although I don't know where we are." Paul answered as calmly as he could.
"Okay," inhale, "I'm okay."exhale, Alex partially relaxed, her fight or flight reaction slightly lessened.
"Wait till the elf sees this!" The dwarf exclaimed, his mirth showing through,
As if on cue, Legolas dropped down from a tree behind the hobbits. His landing silent, his footing sure. His eyes however were fixed on the face he never thought he'd see again. His breath leaving him.
Flight! "Woah! Oh My God!" a scream tore through her throat, on instinct Alex jumped out from her seat, Aragorn too, quickly striding towards Legolas' side to hold him back.
The elf hadn't even noticed he had started to move towards her.
Stepping over the log she had been sitting on, Alex placed as much distance as she can between her, and him. Him! Anybody but him!
Paul was suddenly in front of Alex, holding onto her hands in case she faints again, "Alex! Alex! Relax."
"No! No! NO!, you don't understand! I spent years, years! and thousands of dollars in therapy trying to get rid of this place and their faces out of my head. Trying to prove to myself that this place is not real. I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital because my mother was convinced I was crazy! Crazy!" With each breath Alex took, her throat seemed to be closing in, her voice rising an octave indicating her on the verge of panic, sweat had begun to bead on her brow. Her face flush with unknown emotion. Her steps slowly inching away from the group.
"Alex! Alex! Look at me, it wasn't your fault. None of it is. You know how eccentric your mother can be." Paul tried to reason with her, pity coloring his features. He knew the stories. He knew the horror she went through with her mother. "Let's see here, twenty five years ago you first travelled to a land through your Nana's garden," slowly pulling her shaking form back to sit on the log, "fast forward sixteen years later, we met and became close friends and for some miraculous reason, you shared with me all the beautiful tales about that place and the wonderful people you met and the gory details that went on after you decided to tell your story, and now you've returned and when you finally had the courage to try to prove to yourself that this place does not exist you somehow travelled into it again, but this time it's different. You wanna know why sweetheart?" Paul's soft tone wafted to her ears as if he was speaking to a child, meeting his gaze she shook her head, her curiosity clear in her eyes, "because now, you've got me and you have brought me here with you- followed you of my own free will- and I can attest, WILL attest, to whatever story you wanna tell the world when we go back and I don't care if we both go to the nuthouse together, but this time, you have me. I am not leaving you alone to face this. You hear me?"
Sensing the tension slowly leaving the air, Legolas pushed Aragorn's hold on his arm and slowly faced her, his voice a velvet smooth but at the same time scalding balm on her fresh burns, "Alex-"
"Get the hell away from me!" Alex hissed, head snapping in his direction, anger burning in her green eyes, she ran away before, she wouldn't back down now.
Hurt flashed in Legolas' eyes, before the eagerness seeped out of him, leaving him deflated. His brow furrowing as he regarded her face, those eyes that haunted his waking and sleeping hours. He would never forget that face, the look of hurt before she ran away from him all those years ago.
And now, the girl he knew had morphed into a beautiful woman with fire in her eyes. This is a different Alex, this one does not back down. And he silently prayed to the Valar to give him strength.
-Summer of August, 1991-
The metal rings being dragged along metal rod woke Alex from her deep slumber, sunlight slowly filtered in through the vast room. A cold gust of wind flew in sending a much needed refreshment in her now suddenly warm room. The birds could be heard outside already busy with their business.
"Rise and shine Miss Alex." Franny said, with experienced hands, maneuvered the massive curtains to a beautiful display that framed the huge window facing the east wing of the manor. Coincidence or not, Alex's room was overlooking the labyrinth, the ending as far as the eye can see.
"Alex." Alex muttered,
"Yes Miss?"
"No 'Miss', just Alex pwease." Alex peaked out the mountain of blanket she had covering her entire form, "'miss' makes me fweel so old." Alex grumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"if you say so Mi-..Alex" Franny corrected herself, looking at the five year old girl she was currently designated to look after. It's not like she doesn't like the girl, it's just that her age has finally caught up to her and running after a five year old girl is not something she is equipped for. "Your grandmother has requested for your presence in the sun room."
"What time is it?" Alex suddenly sat up, the sleep long gone from her eyes. Her excitement palpable. In the past two months she has stayed with in the place, she has rarely seen her grandmother. But she was not ignorant not to notice the strain of her grandmother's mysterious illness taking hold of her Nana. Guilt has also crept over her small form, for for the past two months, she had been sneaking off to the labyrinth more and more, her attention caught between her new found friends and the magical place she had discovered just beyond her Nana's garden.
"A little after ten in the morning." Franny answered without looking up, already busying herself with preparing her miss' clothes for the day, pink collared shirt, beige fleece knee patch riding breeches, and black leather riding boots.
"Oh! Why didn't you wake me up sooner Miss Fwanny!" Quickly jumping from her bed and running straight to the connecting bathroom.
"I thought I'd let you sleep in, seeing as you have exhausted yourself yesterday doing God knows what." Franny answered amusedly.
Running her hand along her pink shirt, Alex bounded down the stairs in quick steps in search of her grandmother. "Hold still child! I am not yet done with your hair." Franny huffed,
"Just pull it in a ponytail Miss Fwanny, I can't miss Nana!" The child grumbled, pulling into a stop right outside the sun room. Hearing faint voices inside. Male voices in serious discussion that Alex couldn't understand some of the words.
Doctors. More and more doctors every time. Sadness crept over her tiny frame, her Nana is definitely not feeling any better.
"Alright, there you go, all set." Patting Alex's shoulder and stepping around to open the heavy oak doors leading to the sun room. "and remember, I'll pick you up here in time for lunch and then I'll drop you off at the stables with Mr Smith in time for your horse riding lessons. "
Stopping mid step, Alex turned around to give her nanny the best puppy dog eyes she could muster, hoping to get out of doing any lessons for today, "Do I have to? But it's summer." Her eyes in full effect,
The nanny sighed, already immune to her mistress' antics, "It's your mother's orders." Giving the little girl a gentle shove into the sunroom.
"There is she is!" Her Nana greeted her, her features lighting up seeing her only grand daughter jump into her arms in a warm embrace. "Nana!"
"How is my little butterfly?", giving the doctor beside her a nod before he silently left the room.
"I'm fine Nana."
"and where have you been sneaking off to?" Aemilia asked, looking at her grand daughter that reminded her of herself at that age, from her hair color to those stunning green eyes. "you have been here for two months and I could only count in one hand, how many times I spoke with you." Humor lacing her tone. She wouldn't tell her grand daughter, but she knew she had been disappearing more and more since the first incident after the lavish summer party her mother had thrown not two months ago, giving her nanny and her tutors the headache. She could hear them grumbling when they thought she wasn't listening.
"Nana, they are real!" Alex excitedly told her grandmother who seemed to enjoy the exuberance the little girl is showing. All of a sudden, Aemilia felt light like everything is right in her world again. Adoration and love clear in her eyes as she looked at her only granddaughter. Laugh escaped her lips at what could possibly her grand daughter had to tell her this time, "Oh, and what is real?"
"A prince! And his mighty friend!, he has a bow and awow, and his friend a shiny silver dagger. Nana you should have seen, you should have seen how they climb twees and twek through the fowest. When you're feeling better I'll take you to see them." Alex rambled on, oblivious to her grandmother's laughter, a refreshing sound ringing through the sun room.
"and where would this prince and his mighty friend be?" Aemilia humored her grand daughter, all those stories and tales they had shared has finally given her grand daughter a very colorful imagination, "in the labarymph!" Alex answered with a fist in the air,
"you mean 'labyrinth'?" Aemilia answered trying to stifle her laughter enough to understand her grand daughter's ramblings.
Alex nodded, enthusiastically. "You should have seen Nana. Lily was all over the place barking whenever I go to the woods right outside the garden."
"Oh my dear, I think our roles have already reversed." Hugging her grand daughter one more time, before pulling away and adding, "I think you should be the one telling me stories this time!" Kissing Alex's head just in time for Franny to silently enter and regrettably interrupt the pair.
"My apologies madam, but it is time for Miss Alex's lunch." Holding out her hand for Alex to take.
Aemilia nodded to Franny, acknowledging that despite her grand daughter's age, her daughter-in-law had seemed to instill lessons upon lessons on the poor child.
"I'll see you again tonight, is that alright with you?" Aemilia asked the little girl, "and this time you can tell me all about those amazing friends of yours."
"of course Nana! I might even tell them to give you a gift." Alex added, slowly detangling herself from her grand mother's arms and walking to her nanny standing outside the opened doors.
Chuckling to herself about her grand daughter's silliness, she turned to her forgotten tea, that is thankfully still warm, slowly raising the delicate ceramic cup to her lips before pausing midway, "Bye my little butterfly." Aemilia called out to her before disappearing around the corner to the massive walkway leading to the dining hall.
Alex turned for the last time hearing her grand mother's words to her, "See you later mellon nin!" With a big wave she disappeared with her nanny softly leading her way completely unaware of her grand mother's shaking form.
Aemilia's eyes widened in shock and her hand shook with her tea cup, before her nerves got the better of her and her cup crashed to the floor with a loud bang, the expensive ceramic ware breaking into tiny pieces.