1 Come What May
- By Hitchhiker
1.1
Chapter Four
I can't understand it. I can't even understand the people who can understand it.
-Queen Juliana, of the Netherlands
*~*~*~*~*
Hope awoke to the feeling of pain in her arms and a cold, wet cloth being pressed on her shoulder. Immediately she panicked, remembering the foul- smelling, black monsters, and jerked away from the hands, letting out a gasp of fear.
"Calm down," said a voice, "Calm down, calm down. It's all right. Your safe."
Hope looked up and saw that the hands and voice belonged to a woman. She was beautiful, with kind eyes and a sweet, sad smile on her lips.
"Who are you?" Hope asked, confused, "What happened to the monsters? Where am I?"
"Lie down," said the woman in a commanding voice, "I can't answer your questions."
Hope stared at her for a moment but finally obliged and lay back down. Besides, her body ached and the bed she lay on was so soft and warm she couldn't resist. The woman smiled more broadly and began to dab the wound on Hope's shoulder once again.
"I am Arwen, Queen of Gondor."
"Where's Gondor?" interrupted Hope, "I've never heard of it. Is it a new country in Europe or something?"
Arwen frowned, "You've never heard of Gondor?"
"No. Should I have?" Hope was becoming more confused by the second.
"I don't think I should answer anymore questions right now. You have just barely recovered from a fever and now you still need to heal. Rest now, answers later."
Hope sighed but again obeyed Arwen. "Fine," she said, "But when I wake up, I want some answers. Okay?"
Arwen nodded and left the room quietly. Hope settled into the soft, cozy bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.
*~*~*~*~*
Hope awoke several hours later, her shoulder still hurt but she was not in the least tired. She now was awake enough to be able to take stock of her surroundings.
The room was brightly lit by late-afternoon sunlight streaming through open windows with gauzy, white curtains. Hope could hear faint singing coming from outside the window and there was a sweet smell in the air. Besides the bed, there was not much other furniture except for a few ornately carved chairs and a small bedside table.
Then the door opened and Hope saw Arwen enter again. She carried a tray and she was smiling pleasantly.
"You look better now. I expect you must be hungry. Arwen lay the tray on Hope's lap. On it was a bowl of soup, brown bread, and a glass of water.
"Thank you," said Hope. She was famished and dug right into the soup. It was quite delicious but rather hot.
"I'm glad to see you recovering so well. Last night we feared the worst."
Hope swallowed a mouthful of food and frowned. "Who is 'we'? And what were those creatures? They don't have anything like that in L.A."
Arwen gazed at her sadly. "You were attacked by orcs and injured severely, as I'm sure you can see and feel. The wounds became infected and a terrible fever set in. My father brought it down, but your wounds have yet to heal completely. However, you're healing wonderfully and so I'm sure you'll be fine."
Hope nodded and munched on some bread. "I remember those . . . orcs did you call them? Man, they were totally PO'ed at me. What'd I do to make them so angry?"
"Orcs eat the flesh of men," said Arwen sadly.
As Arwen moved, Hope noticed something she hadn't before. Arwen's ears were pointed.
"Your ears," she said, "They're pointed."
Arwen laughed. "Of course they are pointed. All Elve's ears are pointed. Didn't you know?"
Hope choked on a sip of water. "Your kidding right? I mean, there's no such thing as Elves."
"Of course there are Elves," said Arwen, "This place, Rivendell, was built by Elves."
She lay back, setting her tray to the side, but keeping the glass of water. "Right. Sure. I think I took a blow to the head or something."
Arwen looked as if she were about to say something when the door opened again and three new people stepped in.
The first was an old man. Although, old seemed to be an understatement. Ancient better described him. He wore long white robes and a carried a gnarled wooden staff.
But the man walking beside him was the only one that interested Hope. He was tall and incredibly handsome. His hair was long and dark: braided in some places. His eyes were grey, almost like molten silver. Hope was instantly, and helplessly, attracted.
They sat down at the far end of the room, facing her. "So," began the old man, "You've been through a lot in the past night. I suppose you have some questions, just as we do. Please, feel free to ask."
"So, who are you guys? And where am I?"
"I am Gandalf," said the old man, "This is Elrond Half-elven, Lord of Rivendell. That is where you are."
"Where is Rivendell? Arwen said something about a place called Gondor. Where's that? And how did I get here?"
"I think that before we get into that, we should know who you are and where you came from," said Gandalf.
"Oh, well alright," said Hope with a sigh, "I'm Hope West, from Los Angeles. All I remember is going out for some coffee and then everything went still. I think I must have been hit by lightning. It was a really big storm. Anyway, I woke up on a rock next to a river. Not exactly L.A. you know."
"What happened then," asked Elrond. His dark grey eyes were comforting so Hope continued her story.
"Well, I walked along the river for a while. It was getting dark and I was looking for a place to sleep. Then I heard these pounding feet. I guess I thought they were people.
Anyway, they were those monsters. Arwen said they were . . . orcs? Yeah, orcs. And then they dragged me along all night. I was really tired so I don't know what happened then, but I think they got attacked. Do you know about that?"
"Yes," said Gandalf, "Me and my companion, Frodo Baggins were traveling to Rivendell when we came across a group of Elvish hunters. They offered to escort us and we accepted. Later in the evening, we saw a group of orcs. They were close to Rivendell so we disposed of them. Frodo spotted you and since you were hurt and getting sick, we hurried as fast as we could to Rivendell."
"You had a terrible fever," said Elrond, locking eyes with Hope, "It took all night, but it finally broke."
Hope lowered her gaze, suddenly very self-conscious, "So then this is not Los Angeles. God, I don't even think this is America." she looked up, a defeated expression on her face. "None of you have ever heard of America or L.A. have you?"
They shook their heads sadly.
"So, uh, what do they call the land that Rivendell is located in?" she asked, taking a deep gulp of water and thinking she was going to need something stronger very soon.
"Rivendell is just east of the Misty Mountains. In Middle-Earth," answered Elrond, who hadn't stopped looking at her for a while now.
"Middle-Earth," Hope repeated slowly, "Well, this is just taking on a whole new dimension of weird." She looked at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. "I never thought I'd say this, but: I think I'm from a different world."
Arwen looked shocked, but Gandalf simply nodded. "Yes, I began to wonder. Your clothes, for instance, are like nothing I have ever seen before."
Hope looked down and saw that instead of the jacket, jeans, and tank top she'd been wearing before, she wore a beautiful white nightgown. "Where are my clothes?"
"They are being cleaned," said Arwen with a smile, "When you came, they were very dirty. I think they should be ready tomorrow morning. I gave you this because I thought it would be easier to rest in."
"Where are you from?" Elrond asked, "If you're not from Middle-Earth?"
"Earth," she replied with a shrug, "Where they have L.A. and McDonald's and Disney Land and Starbuck's coffee." Suddenly, Hope felt very tired.
"I think," said Gandalf standing, "We should leave you now. If you have more questions
in the morning, we'll be glad to answer them. But you need rest. I will see you tomorrow, Hope."
Hope lay down again as the others left, but rest did not come till much later.
"What about my family," she whispered to herself, "Oh, Daddy."
*~*~*~*~*
Disclaimer : nope
A/N : Kay, I hated this chapter, but it had to be done. Please no flames. Too much mindless dialogue.
Oh, I want to thank
*Cassie-chan
*WaterShadow
*Botdrovtianx
*Aratorn son of Aragorn
&
*FehrKitten
for giving me my first five reviews. You are all very spiffy!
Next chapter will be fluffy and more into the Hope/Elrond romance. Enjoy!
- By Hitchhiker
1.1
Chapter Four
I can't understand it. I can't even understand the people who can understand it.
-Queen Juliana, of the Netherlands
*~*~*~*~*
Hope awoke to the feeling of pain in her arms and a cold, wet cloth being pressed on her shoulder. Immediately she panicked, remembering the foul- smelling, black monsters, and jerked away from the hands, letting out a gasp of fear.
"Calm down," said a voice, "Calm down, calm down. It's all right. Your safe."
Hope looked up and saw that the hands and voice belonged to a woman. She was beautiful, with kind eyes and a sweet, sad smile on her lips.
"Who are you?" Hope asked, confused, "What happened to the monsters? Where am I?"
"Lie down," said the woman in a commanding voice, "I can't answer your questions."
Hope stared at her for a moment but finally obliged and lay back down. Besides, her body ached and the bed she lay on was so soft and warm she couldn't resist. The woman smiled more broadly and began to dab the wound on Hope's shoulder once again.
"I am Arwen, Queen of Gondor."
"Where's Gondor?" interrupted Hope, "I've never heard of it. Is it a new country in Europe or something?"
Arwen frowned, "You've never heard of Gondor?"
"No. Should I have?" Hope was becoming more confused by the second.
"I don't think I should answer anymore questions right now. You have just barely recovered from a fever and now you still need to heal. Rest now, answers later."
Hope sighed but again obeyed Arwen. "Fine," she said, "But when I wake up, I want some answers. Okay?"
Arwen nodded and left the room quietly. Hope settled into the soft, cozy bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.
*~*~*~*~*
Hope awoke several hours later, her shoulder still hurt but she was not in the least tired. She now was awake enough to be able to take stock of her surroundings.
The room was brightly lit by late-afternoon sunlight streaming through open windows with gauzy, white curtains. Hope could hear faint singing coming from outside the window and there was a sweet smell in the air. Besides the bed, there was not much other furniture except for a few ornately carved chairs and a small bedside table.
Then the door opened and Hope saw Arwen enter again. She carried a tray and she was smiling pleasantly.
"You look better now. I expect you must be hungry. Arwen lay the tray on Hope's lap. On it was a bowl of soup, brown bread, and a glass of water.
"Thank you," said Hope. She was famished and dug right into the soup. It was quite delicious but rather hot.
"I'm glad to see you recovering so well. Last night we feared the worst."
Hope swallowed a mouthful of food and frowned. "Who is 'we'? And what were those creatures? They don't have anything like that in L.A."
Arwen gazed at her sadly. "You were attacked by orcs and injured severely, as I'm sure you can see and feel. The wounds became infected and a terrible fever set in. My father brought it down, but your wounds have yet to heal completely. However, you're healing wonderfully and so I'm sure you'll be fine."
Hope nodded and munched on some bread. "I remember those . . . orcs did you call them? Man, they were totally PO'ed at me. What'd I do to make them so angry?"
"Orcs eat the flesh of men," said Arwen sadly.
As Arwen moved, Hope noticed something she hadn't before. Arwen's ears were pointed.
"Your ears," she said, "They're pointed."
Arwen laughed. "Of course they are pointed. All Elve's ears are pointed. Didn't you know?"
Hope choked on a sip of water. "Your kidding right? I mean, there's no such thing as Elves."
"Of course there are Elves," said Arwen, "This place, Rivendell, was built by Elves."
She lay back, setting her tray to the side, but keeping the glass of water. "Right. Sure. I think I took a blow to the head or something."
Arwen looked as if she were about to say something when the door opened again and three new people stepped in.
The first was an old man. Although, old seemed to be an understatement. Ancient better described him. He wore long white robes and a carried a gnarled wooden staff.
But the man walking beside him was the only one that interested Hope. He was tall and incredibly handsome. His hair was long and dark: braided in some places. His eyes were grey, almost like molten silver. Hope was instantly, and helplessly, attracted.
They sat down at the far end of the room, facing her. "So," began the old man, "You've been through a lot in the past night. I suppose you have some questions, just as we do. Please, feel free to ask."
"So, who are you guys? And where am I?"
"I am Gandalf," said the old man, "This is Elrond Half-elven, Lord of Rivendell. That is where you are."
"Where is Rivendell? Arwen said something about a place called Gondor. Where's that? And how did I get here?"
"I think that before we get into that, we should know who you are and where you came from," said Gandalf.
"Oh, well alright," said Hope with a sigh, "I'm Hope West, from Los Angeles. All I remember is going out for some coffee and then everything went still. I think I must have been hit by lightning. It was a really big storm. Anyway, I woke up on a rock next to a river. Not exactly L.A. you know."
"What happened then," asked Elrond. His dark grey eyes were comforting so Hope continued her story.
"Well, I walked along the river for a while. It was getting dark and I was looking for a place to sleep. Then I heard these pounding feet. I guess I thought they were people.
Anyway, they were those monsters. Arwen said they were . . . orcs? Yeah, orcs. And then they dragged me along all night. I was really tired so I don't know what happened then, but I think they got attacked. Do you know about that?"
"Yes," said Gandalf, "Me and my companion, Frodo Baggins were traveling to Rivendell when we came across a group of Elvish hunters. They offered to escort us and we accepted. Later in the evening, we saw a group of orcs. They were close to Rivendell so we disposed of them. Frodo spotted you and since you were hurt and getting sick, we hurried as fast as we could to Rivendell."
"You had a terrible fever," said Elrond, locking eyes with Hope, "It took all night, but it finally broke."
Hope lowered her gaze, suddenly very self-conscious, "So then this is not Los Angeles. God, I don't even think this is America." she looked up, a defeated expression on her face. "None of you have ever heard of America or L.A. have you?"
They shook their heads sadly.
"So, uh, what do they call the land that Rivendell is located in?" she asked, taking a deep gulp of water and thinking she was going to need something stronger very soon.
"Rivendell is just east of the Misty Mountains. In Middle-Earth," answered Elrond, who hadn't stopped looking at her for a while now.
"Middle-Earth," Hope repeated slowly, "Well, this is just taking on a whole new dimension of weird." She looked at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. "I never thought I'd say this, but: I think I'm from a different world."
Arwen looked shocked, but Gandalf simply nodded. "Yes, I began to wonder. Your clothes, for instance, are like nothing I have ever seen before."
Hope looked down and saw that instead of the jacket, jeans, and tank top she'd been wearing before, she wore a beautiful white nightgown. "Where are my clothes?"
"They are being cleaned," said Arwen with a smile, "When you came, they were very dirty. I think they should be ready tomorrow morning. I gave you this because I thought it would be easier to rest in."
"Where are you from?" Elrond asked, "If you're not from Middle-Earth?"
"Earth," she replied with a shrug, "Where they have L.A. and McDonald's and Disney Land and Starbuck's coffee." Suddenly, Hope felt very tired.
"I think," said Gandalf standing, "We should leave you now. If you have more questions
in the morning, we'll be glad to answer them. But you need rest. I will see you tomorrow, Hope."
Hope lay down again as the others left, but rest did not come till much later.
"What about my family," she whispered to herself, "Oh, Daddy."
*~*~*~*~*
Disclaimer : nope
A/N : Kay, I hated this chapter, but it had to be done. Please no flames. Too much mindless dialogue.
Oh, I want to thank
*Cassie-chan
*WaterShadow
*Botdrovtianx
*Aratorn son of Aragorn
&
*FehrKitten
for giving me my first five reviews. You are all very spiffy!
Next chapter will be fluffy and more into the Hope/Elrond romance. Enjoy!