1 Come What May
- By Hitchhiker
1.1
1.2 Chapter Five
1.2.1.1.1.1
1.2.1.1.1.2 I still believe it when you say
1.2.1.1.1.2.1 It's another perfect day
Another perfect day.
American Hi-Fi, "Another Perfect Day"
For the second time, sunlight poured through the windows of Hope's room, illuminating her resting body. In time, the bright light pierced her dreams and coaxed her back to the land of the waking.
Hope yawned and stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and standing. She felt much stronger today, and was determined to learn more about this strange 'world' into which she had been thrust.
Since she had no idea where Arwen or the others were, she decided to check out what she could see from her window. While lying in bed, she hadn't been able to see it, but now Hope was able to move about better. Drawing back the curtains, Hope gazed out at the most beautiful view she'd ever seen.
It was a city. A beautiful city of high, elegant archways and rushing rivers and waterfalls. The city was in a valley and from her window, Hope could see mountains. Birds twittered a pretty tune and the soft wind blew warm, sweet smelling air in her face.
Hope gasped at the breathtaking sight, so lovely she was sure she must be in Heaven. She stared for several minutes, expecting to wake up and find it was all a dream.
The moment was broken by the knocking on the door. Turning, Hope saw Arwen enter carrying a bundle in her arms. Hope was again struck by her ethereal beauty. 'Are all Elves so beautiful?' she wondered.
"Good morning, Hope," she said, "I've brought your clothes. All clean and dry for you."
"Thanks," she said, taking the clothes from her, "Um, do you think I could take a bath. I haven't had one in a while and . . . " her voiced trailed off.
Arwen laughed knowingly. "Of course, I'll have the servants bring up a tub for you to wash in."
It was a new experience for Hope, to wash in a tub. It was very large and not unpleasant, but she'd always preferred showers to baths. Still, she was soon clean and much happier as she changed into her old clothes.
Hope had been happy to discover her necklace in the pile of clothing. It had been removed, but her mother's ring was still on her finger.
Once she had finished, Arwen led Hope through grey stone hallways with long, richly woven tapestries hanging beside the windows through which brilliant sunshine streamed.
They finally came to a room where Gandalf and two others sat at a table, eating breakfast. Hope felt a strange pang inside her when she saw that Elrond wasn't with them, but it was soon forgotten in her hunger and eagerness to meet the others.
The first was a man, not very old, whose name was Aragorn. He was Arwen's husband and a rather pleasant man. He was king of this place called Gondor and Hope made a mental note to find a map and study the geography of this place.
The second fellow was much more intriguing. He called himself Frodo Baggins and a 'hobbit'. However, Hope had first thought of him as a 'hairy toed midget'. However, he was quite pleasant and Hope recognized him as the same one she had seen when the orcs had been attacked.
They were all quite friendly with their joking and friendly teasing and Hope liked them all. She could tell they were close friends and had been through a lot. All were eager to tell their tales. Hope eagerly listened, but soon began to wish she could be alone for a while. The thoughts of this strange place needed dealing with and Hope wanted to be by herself.
"Arwen" she asked, quite softly, "Do you mind if I go walk around by myself?"
Arwen smiled, setting down her cup of tea, "Of course. You are a guest of my father. You're allowed almost anywhere in Rivendell.
"Thank you," she said, standing up and excusing herself.
*~*~*~*~*
Elrond walked through the stone hallways of his home, deep in thought. Aragorn had brought grave news with him, though he had told no one else. Orcs and other things more horrible to mention, were gathering in Mordor. The lands had been mostly deserted for five years, since the War of The Ring.
He stopped at the end of the hallway, looking out off the balcony at the valley side of Rivendell. Instead of facing the city, it looked out toward the West, toward the sea.
The sound of humming caught the Elf lord's ears, breaking his concentration. He turned to his right and saw someone in the library. He or she sat with their back to him, with long, dark-gold hair tumbling down. Elrond caught sight of the bandage on the person's left shoulder and recognized Hope.
"Hope?" he asked, standing right beside her. Her reaction was not the one Elrond had expected. Apparently, she hadn't heard him coming, and gave a strangled shriek as she fell out of her chair. Elrond extended a hand, helping her to her feet.
"Oh, hi, um, Elrond. How are you?" Then her eyes widened as if she just realized something. "Oh my God, is this a private library? Oh, damn. Um, if it is, I didn't know. It's just that I like books and when I saw this place I didn't even think it was private or anything. I'm sorry."
Elrond chuckled at the girl apologies, smiling broadly. Hope gave a tiny smile, as if sensing that she wasn't truly in trouble. "No," said Elrond, "This isn't a private library. Anyone can use it, but most don't. If they want stories, they go to the Hall of Fire."
Hope nodded, though a little sadly at the thought of no one wanting to read the books. After all, the library was beautiful and inviting with its comfortable chairs and the slightly musty smell in the air.
She set down the book in her hand. "I can't read any of this anyway. It's all in another language."
Elrond nodded and said, with a little teasing in his voice, "As we are Elvish so most of the books you find here in Rivendell are written in Elvish. Were you looking for anything in particular?"
Hope shrugged, sitting down again, Elrond following her. "Just trying to find out about Middle-earth I suppose. It's very different from my world."
"How so?" asked Elrond, cocking his head to the side, his interest high.
"Well, for starters, there are your clothes. Arwen was wearing long dresses and you and Gandalf wear these robes. And I met Frodo a while back: he wears clothes that look like they are from the past in my world."
"Go on."
"Um, well then there's you and the others. You and Arwen are, well, Elves. And we don't have Elves in my world."
"Just Men?"
"Just Men. No hobbits or Elves or anything else."
"What about Dwarves? And orcs?" Elrond was obviously surprised.
Hope shuddered at the mention of orcs but shook her head. "Nope, none at all. I'm sorry."
"What do you mean?" he asked, "It isn't your fault that here aren't any of us on Earth."
"I know," she answered smiling softly, "But I think my world would be a little better if it had a few Elves in it."
Elrond smiled back.
*~*~*~*~*
Several hours later, Elrond and Hope still were talking. They kept taking turns telling stories of their lives. In such a short time, a bond had formed between them. A strong one.
Elrond stood up and stretched. He'd become quite cramped sitting there for so long. "How about we continue our talk through the gardens. My legs are screaming to be moved."
Hope nodded and followed as he led her down some stone steps to the gardens. A stone walkway, delicately strewn with fallen leaves and flowers, went through the gardens, leading up to a bridge, looking over a small tributary from the Anduin.
They stood leaning against the railing of the bridge, listening to the light breeze and drinking in the warm, sweet air of Rivendell. Hope dug through her pockets and found her chap stick. She pulled of the cap and applied it to her lips.
"What is that?" asked Elrond, picking up the faint scent of vanilla.
"Heaven in a tube," she answered handing him the chap stick, "It's supposed to keep your lips from getting chapped. It smells really good."
"Yes," he answered, "It does. Very nice." He held out the stick for her to take, but as she bumped her hand against his, the chap stick fell, bouncing of the bridge and into the water.
This must have been the last straw for Hope, for as she watched it sink, the feelings of loss caught up with her. The loss of family, friends, and anything familiar. The loss of L.A. and McDonald's and Disney Land and Starbuck's coffee.
"My chap stick," she sobbed, "On top of everything else, my chap stick."
Elrond, however, had noticed something she hadn't. It had fallen on a wash of rocks which were keeping it from getting swept away. He knelt beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She looked up, face wet and eyes red. She looked at the dripping chap stick and smiled, laughing a little.
She did something then that no one had ever done for Elrond outside of his family. She hugged him. A long, happy hug. Nothing but friendship behind it. It surprised Elrond at first, but he realized that Hope was a friend that needed to be comforted.
When they pulled back, she smiled, brushing back the tears and saying softly, "Thank you." Hope pocketed the chap stick and they continued their walk through the gardens, picking up their conversation where they had left it.
*~*~*~*~*
Late afternoon sun drifted over the two as they walked back to the Last Homely House, laughing and talking. Hope's tears had long since dried from the warm air and pleasant company. She was just explaining to Elrond the finer points of basketball and why the Lakers were the best team when Arwen and Aragorn approached.
"Hello," said Arwen cheerfully, "How are you feeling, Hope?"
"Fine," she said. Actually, she'd almost forgotten about the pain in her shoulder while she'd been with Elrond.
"Well, we came to find you and tell you it's almost time for dinner."
"Really?" asked Elrond. He turned to the west ad saw the sun beginning to sink. "I hadn't even noticed. Well, that certainly is shocking." He turned to Hope. "I suppose we should get ready then. I'll see you at dinner."
Aragorn accompanied Elrond back to the house, leaving Arwen with Hope.
"Well," said Arwen, "Now we need to find you a dress."
*~*~*~*~*
Disclaimer : the world of middle-earth and it's characters belong to the late J.R.R. Tolkien. I do not own L.A., McDonald's, Disney Land, or Starbuck's coffee. Although, I love all of them. Maybe not McDonald's. Only Hope belongs to me.
A/N : Dude, I'm all fluffed out. I can't take it anymore. I need to write a Frodo angst fic to balance my creative juices. Or not.
It was nice to wake up sick on Monday and find out I had ELEVEN reviews. That was fun. Please, more!
- By Hitchhiker
1.1
1.2 Chapter Five
1.2.1.1.1.1
1.2.1.1.1.2 I still believe it when you say
1.2.1.1.1.2.1 It's another perfect day
Another perfect day.
American Hi-Fi, "Another Perfect Day"
For the second time, sunlight poured through the windows of Hope's room, illuminating her resting body. In time, the bright light pierced her dreams and coaxed her back to the land of the waking.
Hope yawned and stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and standing. She felt much stronger today, and was determined to learn more about this strange 'world' into which she had been thrust.
Since she had no idea where Arwen or the others were, she decided to check out what she could see from her window. While lying in bed, she hadn't been able to see it, but now Hope was able to move about better. Drawing back the curtains, Hope gazed out at the most beautiful view she'd ever seen.
It was a city. A beautiful city of high, elegant archways and rushing rivers and waterfalls. The city was in a valley and from her window, Hope could see mountains. Birds twittered a pretty tune and the soft wind blew warm, sweet smelling air in her face.
Hope gasped at the breathtaking sight, so lovely she was sure she must be in Heaven. She stared for several minutes, expecting to wake up and find it was all a dream.
The moment was broken by the knocking on the door. Turning, Hope saw Arwen enter carrying a bundle in her arms. Hope was again struck by her ethereal beauty. 'Are all Elves so beautiful?' she wondered.
"Good morning, Hope," she said, "I've brought your clothes. All clean and dry for you."
"Thanks," she said, taking the clothes from her, "Um, do you think I could take a bath. I haven't had one in a while and . . . " her voiced trailed off.
Arwen laughed knowingly. "Of course, I'll have the servants bring up a tub for you to wash in."
It was a new experience for Hope, to wash in a tub. It was very large and not unpleasant, but she'd always preferred showers to baths. Still, she was soon clean and much happier as she changed into her old clothes.
Hope had been happy to discover her necklace in the pile of clothing. It had been removed, but her mother's ring was still on her finger.
Once she had finished, Arwen led Hope through grey stone hallways with long, richly woven tapestries hanging beside the windows through which brilliant sunshine streamed.
They finally came to a room where Gandalf and two others sat at a table, eating breakfast. Hope felt a strange pang inside her when she saw that Elrond wasn't with them, but it was soon forgotten in her hunger and eagerness to meet the others.
The first was a man, not very old, whose name was Aragorn. He was Arwen's husband and a rather pleasant man. He was king of this place called Gondor and Hope made a mental note to find a map and study the geography of this place.
The second fellow was much more intriguing. He called himself Frodo Baggins and a 'hobbit'. However, Hope had first thought of him as a 'hairy toed midget'. However, he was quite pleasant and Hope recognized him as the same one she had seen when the orcs had been attacked.
They were all quite friendly with their joking and friendly teasing and Hope liked them all. She could tell they were close friends and had been through a lot. All were eager to tell their tales. Hope eagerly listened, but soon began to wish she could be alone for a while. The thoughts of this strange place needed dealing with and Hope wanted to be by herself.
"Arwen" she asked, quite softly, "Do you mind if I go walk around by myself?"
Arwen smiled, setting down her cup of tea, "Of course. You are a guest of my father. You're allowed almost anywhere in Rivendell.
"Thank you," she said, standing up and excusing herself.
*~*~*~*~*
Elrond walked through the stone hallways of his home, deep in thought. Aragorn had brought grave news with him, though he had told no one else. Orcs and other things more horrible to mention, were gathering in Mordor. The lands had been mostly deserted for five years, since the War of The Ring.
He stopped at the end of the hallway, looking out off the balcony at the valley side of Rivendell. Instead of facing the city, it looked out toward the West, toward the sea.
The sound of humming caught the Elf lord's ears, breaking his concentration. He turned to his right and saw someone in the library. He or she sat with their back to him, with long, dark-gold hair tumbling down. Elrond caught sight of the bandage on the person's left shoulder and recognized Hope.
"Hope?" he asked, standing right beside her. Her reaction was not the one Elrond had expected. Apparently, she hadn't heard him coming, and gave a strangled shriek as she fell out of her chair. Elrond extended a hand, helping her to her feet.
"Oh, hi, um, Elrond. How are you?" Then her eyes widened as if she just realized something. "Oh my God, is this a private library? Oh, damn. Um, if it is, I didn't know. It's just that I like books and when I saw this place I didn't even think it was private or anything. I'm sorry."
Elrond chuckled at the girl apologies, smiling broadly. Hope gave a tiny smile, as if sensing that she wasn't truly in trouble. "No," said Elrond, "This isn't a private library. Anyone can use it, but most don't. If they want stories, they go to the Hall of Fire."
Hope nodded, though a little sadly at the thought of no one wanting to read the books. After all, the library was beautiful and inviting with its comfortable chairs and the slightly musty smell in the air.
She set down the book in her hand. "I can't read any of this anyway. It's all in another language."
Elrond nodded and said, with a little teasing in his voice, "As we are Elvish so most of the books you find here in Rivendell are written in Elvish. Were you looking for anything in particular?"
Hope shrugged, sitting down again, Elrond following her. "Just trying to find out about Middle-earth I suppose. It's very different from my world."
"How so?" asked Elrond, cocking his head to the side, his interest high.
"Well, for starters, there are your clothes. Arwen was wearing long dresses and you and Gandalf wear these robes. And I met Frodo a while back: he wears clothes that look like they are from the past in my world."
"Go on."
"Um, well then there's you and the others. You and Arwen are, well, Elves. And we don't have Elves in my world."
"Just Men?"
"Just Men. No hobbits or Elves or anything else."
"What about Dwarves? And orcs?" Elrond was obviously surprised.
Hope shuddered at the mention of orcs but shook her head. "Nope, none at all. I'm sorry."
"What do you mean?" he asked, "It isn't your fault that here aren't any of us on Earth."
"I know," she answered smiling softly, "But I think my world would be a little better if it had a few Elves in it."
Elrond smiled back.
*~*~*~*~*
Several hours later, Elrond and Hope still were talking. They kept taking turns telling stories of their lives. In such a short time, a bond had formed between them. A strong one.
Elrond stood up and stretched. He'd become quite cramped sitting there for so long. "How about we continue our talk through the gardens. My legs are screaming to be moved."
Hope nodded and followed as he led her down some stone steps to the gardens. A stone walkway, delicately strewn with fallen leaves and flowers, went through the gardens, leading up to a bridge, looking over a small tributary from the Anduin.
They stood leaning against the railing of the bridge, listening to the light breeze and drinking in the warm, sweet air of Rivendell. Hope dug through her pockets and found her chap stick. She pulled of the cap and applied it to her lips.
"What is that?" asked Elrond, picking up the faint scent of vanilla.
"Heaven in a tube," she answered handing him the chap stick, "It's supposed to keep your lips from getting chapped. It smells really good."
"Yes," he answered, "It does. Very nice." He held out the stick for her to take, but as she bumped her hand against his, the chap stick fell, bouncing of the bridge and into the water.
This must have been the last straw for Hope, for as she watched it sink, the feelings of loss caught up with her. The loss of family, friends, and anything familiar. The loss of L.A. and McDonald's and Disney Land and Starbuck's coffee.
"My chap stick," she sobbed, "On top of everything else, my chap stick."
Elrond, however, had noticed something she hadn't. It had fallen on a wash of rocks which were keeping it from getting swept away. He knelt beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She looked up, face wet and eyes red. She looked at the dripping chap stick and smiled, laughing a little.
She did something then that no one had ever done for Elrond outside of his family. She hugged him. A long, happy hug. Nothing but friendship behind it. It surprised Elrond at first, but he realized that Hope was a friend that needed to be comforted.
When they pulled back, she smiled, brushing back the tears and saying softly, "Thank you." Hope pocketed the chap stick and they continued their walk through the gardens, picking up their conversation where they had left it.
*~*~*~*~*
Late afternoon sun drifted over the two as they walked back to the Last Homely House, laughing and talking. Hope's tears had long since dried from the warm air and pleasant company. She was just explaining to Elrond the finer points of basketball and why the Lakers were the best team when Arwen and Aragorn approached.
"Hello," said Arwen cheerfully, "How are you feeling, Hope?"
"Fine," she said. Actually, she'd almost forgotten about the pain in her shoulder while she'd been with Elrond.
"Well, we came to find you and tell you it's almost time for dinner."
"Really?" asked Elrond. He turned to the west ad saw the sun beginning to sink. "I hadn't even noticed. Well, that certainly is shocking." He turned to Hope. "I suppose we should get ready then. I'll see you at dinner."
Aragorn accompanied Elrond back to the house, leaving Arwen with Hope.
"Well," said Arwen, "Now we need to find you a dress."
*~*~*~*~*
Disclaimer : the world of middle-earth and it's characters belong to the late J.R.R. Tolkien. I do not own L.A., McDonald's, Disney Land, or Starbuck's coffee. Although, I love all of them. Maybe not McDonald's. Only Hope belongs to me.
A/N : Dude, I'm all fluffed out. I can't take it anymore. I need to write a Frodo angst fic to balance my creative juices. Or not.
It was nice to wake up sick on Monday and find out I had ELEVEN reviews. That was fun. Please, more!