A/N: Thanks to Hannah, BurningTyger, pallas, Sick Little Fiend, Jessica,
and Taith Ant for your reviews on Ch. 9. I know what you mean about
Glorfindel as a character. Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday--I
meant to, but forgot to upload it. I think you'll enjoy this chapter,
too.
Ch. 10: Recovery
Glorfindel and I spent a lazy afternoon wandering around Rivendell, then went in for supper. I ate slowly, but I managed to eat a full meal. I was more aware of the food than I think I ever was before I left. Sure, I'd enjoyed it then. It had always been wonderful, but ten years of eating hospital food made me even more grateful for the wonderful Elvish food. After dinner, we went out to the gardens, and I must have dropped off again, because I woke in bed beside my husband. I might have been tempted to think the last day a dream, except that we were in his room, not the one I'd been staying in the last four days.
"Good morning. How are you feeling?" I realized what Glorfindel was hinting at when I tried to sit up.
"Sore!" I laughed as I dropped back down onto the pillow. "I'm not sure I want to move!" I cautiously pushed myself up until I was sitting up. "On second thought, even the soreness feels good. It feels good to feel anything, even sore muscles." Basically every muscle in my body hurt. I hadn't used the majority of my muscles in ten years, and they were complaining.
Glorfindel rubbed my shoulders and back for a few minutes. It felt wonderful. After sitting there a moment longer, I got up and got dressed. I was still wearing my dress from yesterday, more than a little rumpled. He opened the wardrobe and there were all my old dresses! I picked a midnight blue one and somehow managed to get into it without my legs giving out.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Glorfindel?" Gandalf's voice came through the door. Glorfindel walked over and opened the door.
"Ah, I've finally found you. Elrond was able to remove the final fragment of the Morgul blade from Frodo's shoulder last night, and we hope Frodo will wake soon. Elrond would like to speak to you. How are you feeling, Jennifer?"
"I'm very sore, but I suppose it's to be expected. I'll get over it in a couple days." I had to hope so.
"I'm certain you will. Oh, Renée was looking for you this morning."
"OK. I'll find her." Gandalf ducked out of the room. "Does anything phase him?"
"I'm not sure I follow."
"Does anything unsettle him?"
"Oh. I doubt it." He kissed me lightly. "Will you be able to get around all right on your own?"
"I think I can manage. Get going. But not before this…" I kissed him again, and both of us were reluctant to break it. When we finally did, I rested my head on his shoulder for a moment before straightening and leaving the room.
Walking on my own wasn't easy, but it wasn't impossible, either. He watched me until he was convinced I could handle it, then headed off to find Elrond. I found Renée in her room, sitting on the bed.
"Hey, kid! What's up?"
"He-asked-me-to-marry-him!" The words came out in such a rush I had to struggle to understand her.
"What—who—Pete?"
"Yes! It's incredible. A week ago, I was trying to avoid Joe as much as possible, and now I'm engaged to the best guy I've ever met." She flopped backwards on the bed. "You're better, and we're in this incredible place, and…and…"
"I know the feeling." I walked over to sit beside her. "When I first came here, I went through the same thing, except that I took longer going about it. You know, Gandalf told me that there were probably evil forces at work trying to destroy both of us. I guess I really can't say anything for certain, but I think they not only failed miserably, but in the end made things much better for both of us. Whatever evil they had planned for us, it backfired. Now, give me details!"
"There really isn't that much to it. You know how he helped me get through that lake and then showed me around this place over the next couple days. We spent a lot of time together in the evenings after you went to bed, and then we went riding the other morning, and when we stopped for lunch, he kissed me! It was amazing. We spent the rest of the day riding and talking. He understands me and knows what's happened to me, but he cares, anyway. Anyway, we just sort of fell in love before I even realized it. He asked me to marry him just last night. I've only known him for a few days, but I know I could spend the rest of my life with him. It's amazing. I don't understand it, but…"
"Well, I'm happy for you. I was hoping something like this would happen. I'm glad to see you've finally gotten a fresh start." I had hoped for this, and I wasn't surprised.
"You aren't surprised in the least, are you? Why?" Her eyes narrowed a little before she burst out laughing. "Just how many of you have been scheming to get us together?"
"Actually, as far as I know, none. I expected it, but I didn't have anything to do with it. If there has been any scheming, they left me out of it. Not to change the subject, but have you spoken to Gandalf at all?"
"Only just a little. He said something about my parents maybe being Elves."
"Yes. He told me about as much. You never really knew them, did you?"
"No. I don't remember anything about my father, and I barely knew my mother. My stepmother told me my dad died of an overdose of something. I have a picture of him—I even brought it with me, but no memories. I have no idea what happened to my mother. I remember her just a little. I remember she was blond and really beautiful, but I suppose every kid thinks her mother is the prettiest woman in the world." She grew quiet for a minute, a shadow coming over her eyes.
"What's wrong, Renée?" I asked her gently.
"Oh, it's just a silly thing. Nothing really."
"Don't give me that. Something's bothering you."
"Really, it's nothing. It's just that when I was a little girl, I always envisioned my father walking me down the aisle. So, why, now that I'm the happiest I've ever been does this have to come up?"
"I wouldn't know. I never knew my parents, either. I was adopted when I was two, but no one ever seemed to know anything about my biological parents. My adopted parents were killed in a farm accident when I was twenty, and I've been on my own ever since. I never spent much time thinking about my real parents because I knew they were dead, and I was never terribly close to my adopted family. They were kind enough, but they weren't my family."
"Sounds like it was a very good thing we both ended up here."
"Yes, it was. I have my fairy tale life back, and you're starting one of you own. It almost seems too perfect. Now we just have to survive the cataclysm that's coming."
"I've heard a little about it, but I don't know a lot."
"I know most of the details, but I think the next couple days will clarify a lot of it. There are representatives of all the free races of Middle Earth here for council. The injured hobbit, Frodo, just woke up this morning. Glorfindel is talking to Elrond as we speak."
"I met the other hobbits yesterday. They're cute."
"That they are, Renée. That they are. Somehow, though, I think they soon will hold the fate of Middle Earth in their hands. I'm not sure why, but that's what my heart is telling me. For us, the times are good, but for the rest of the world, it's pretty scary." We sat in silence for a moment, but then my stomach growled, breaking the solemn moment. We both giggled. "Maybe I should go find some food. I slept through breakfast. I was so exhausted it's not surprising. The last thing I remember is sitting out in the garden, then I woke up this morning. I never used to oversleep like that."
We found our way down to the kitchen and managed to get a snack from the cooks. Glorfindel stayed with Gandalf and Elrond in the library all morning, and Pete was nowhere to be found, so Renée and I kept ourselves occupied that morning. We poked around in the library, reading history books and chatting in four different languages.
Ch. 10: Recovery
Glorfindel and I spent a lazy afternoon wandering around Rivendell, then went in for supper. I ate slowly, but I managed to eat a full meal. I was more aware of the food than I think I ever was before I left. Sure, I'd enjoyed it then. It had always been wonderful, but ten years of eating hospital food made me even more grateful for the wonderful Elvish food. After dinner, we went out to the gardens, and I must have dropped off again, because I woke in bed beside my husband. I might have been tempted to think the last day a dream, except that we were in his room, not the one I'd been staying in the last four days.
"Good morning. How are you feeling?" I realized what Glorfindel was hinting at when I tried to sit up.
"Sore!" I laughed as I dropped back down onto the pillow. "I'm not sure I want to move!" I cautiously pushed myself up until I was sitting up. "On second thought, even the soreness feels good. It feels good to feel anything, even sore muscles." Basically every muscle in my body hurt. I hadn't used the majority of my muscles in ten years, and they were complaining.
Glorfindel rubbed my shoulders and back for a few minutes. It felt wonderful. After sitting there a moment longer, I got up and got dressed. I was still wearing my dress from yesterday, more than a little rumpled. He opened the wardrobe and there were all my old dresses! I picked a midnight blue one and somehow managed to get into it without my legs giving out.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Glorfindel?" Gandalf's voice came through the door. Glorfindel walked over and opened the door.
"Ah, I've finally found you. Elrond was able to remove the final fragment of the Morgul blade from Frodo's shoulder last night, and we hope Frodo will wake soon. Elrond would like to speak to you. How are you feeling, Jennifer?"
"I'm very sore, but I suppose it's to be expected. I'll get over it in a couple days." I had to hope so.
"I'm certain you will. Oh, Renée was looking for you this morning."
"OK. I'll find her." Gandalf ducked out of the room. "Does anything phase him?"
"I'm not sure I follow."
"Does anything unsettle him?"
"Oh. I doubt it." He kissed me lightly. "Will you be able to get around all right on your own?"
"I think I can manage. Get going. But not before this…" I kissed him again, and both of us were reluctant to break it. When we finally did, I rested my head on his shoulder for a moment before straightening and leaving the room.
Walking on my own wasn't easy, but it wasn't impossible, either. He watched me until he was convinced I could handle it, then headed off to find Elrond. I found Renée in her room, sitting on the bed.
"Hey, kid! What's up?"
"He-asked-me-to-marry-him!" The words came out in such a rush I had to struggle to understand her.
"What—who—Pete?"
"Yes! It's incredible. A week ago, I was trying to avoid Joe as much as possible, and now I'm engaged to the best guy I've ever met." She flopped backwards on the bed. "You're better, and we're in this incredible place, and…and…"
"I know the feeling." I walked over to sit beside her. "When I first came here, I went through the same thing, except that I took longer going about it. You know, Gandalf told me that there were probably evil forces at work trying to destroy both of us. I guess I really can't say anything for certain, but I think they not only failed miserably, but in the end made things much better for both of us. Whatever evil they had planned for us, it backfired. Now, give me details!"
"There really isn't that much to it. You know how he helped me get through that lake and then showed me around this place over the next couple days. We spent a lot of time together in the evenings after you went to bed, and then we went riding the other morning, and when we stopped for lunch, he kissed me! It was amazing. We spent the rest of the day riding and talking. He understands me and knows what's happened to me, but he cares, anyway. Anyway, we just sort of fell in love before I even realized it. He asked me to marry him just last night. I've only known him for a few days, but I know I could spend the rest of my life with him. It's amazing. I don't understand it, but…"
"Well, I'm happy for you. I was hoping something like this would happen. I'm glad to see you've finally gotten a fresh start." I had hoped for this, and I wasn't surprised.
"You aren't surprised in the least, are you? Why?" Her eyes narrowed a little before she burst out laughing. "Just how many of you have been scheming to get us together?"
"Actually, as far as I know, none. I expected it, but I didn't have anything to do with it. If there has been any scheming, they left me out of it. Not to change the subject, but have you spoken to Gandalf at all?"
"Only just a little. He said something about my parents maybe being Elves."
"Yes. He told me about as much. You never really knew them, did you?"
"No. I don't remember anything about my father, and I barely knew my mother. My stepmother told me my dad died of an overdose of something. I have a picture of him—I even brought it with me, but no memories. I have no idea what happened to my mother. I remember her just a little. I remember she was blond and really beautiful, but I suppose every kid thinks her mother is the prettiest woman in the world." She grew quiet for a minute, a shadow coming over her eyes.
"What's wrong, Renée?" I asked her gently.
"Oh, it's just a silly thing. Nothing really."
"Don't give me that. Something's bothering you."
"Really, it's nothing. It's just that when I was a little girl, I always envisioned my father walking me down the aisle. So, why, now that I'm the happiest I've ever been does this have to come up?"
"I wouldn't know. I never knew my parents, either. I was adopted when I was two, but no one ever seemed to know anything about my biological parents. My adopted parents were killed in a farm accident when I was twenty, and I've been on my own ever since. I never spent much time thinking about my real parents because I knew they were dead, and I was never terribly close to my adopted family. They were kind enough, but they weren't my family."
"Sounds like it was a very good thing we both ended up here."
"Yes, it was. I have my fairy tale life back, and you're starting one of you own. It almost seems too perfect. Now we just have to survive the cataclysm that's coming."
"I've heard a little about it, but I don't know a lot."
"I know most of the details, but I think the next couple days will clarify a lot of it. There are representatives of all the free races of Middle Earth here for council. The injured hobbit, Frodo, just woke up this morning. Glorfindel is talking to Elrond as we speak."
"I met the other hobbits yesterday. They're cute."
"That they are, Renée. That they are. Somehow, though, I think they soon will hold the fate of Middle Earth in their hands. I'm not sure why, but that's what my heart is telling me. For us, the times are good, but for the rest of the world, it's pretty scary." We sat in silence for a moment, but then my stomach growled, breaking the solemn moment. We both giggled. "Maybe I should go find some food. I slept through breakfast. I was so exhausted it's not surprising. The last thing I remember is sitting out in the garden, then I woke up this morning. I never used to oversleep like that."
We found our way down to the kitchen and managed to get a snack from the cooks. Glorfindel stayed with Gandalf and Elrond in the library all morning, and Pete was nowhere to be found, so Renée and I kept ourselves occupied that morning. We poked around in the library, reading history books and chatting in four different languages.