Her brows wrinkled up slightly, and her head rolled to one side as a dream troubled her sleep. Her lips parted in a sigh, and a name escaped them in a soft whisper, "Camille…"
Elrond watched on at the young lady who slept in Arwen's bed, a look of thoughtfulness crossing his face. Who could you be, child? Where are you from?
When he first heard from his sons that they had found a young girl at the edge of the ford, being chased by Orcs, he had felt that something suspicious was going on. He had thought that this was another one of Sauron's tricks. He wondered to himself if Sauron had decided to stoop so low as to send a young girl as a spy, using an innocent to accomplish his ideals.
But he could not be too sure. For all he knew, this girl had nothing to do with Sauron. In these dark times, nothing is the same anymore.
^What shall we do with her, Father?^
Elrond turned, and gazed at his daughter, Arwen, also called Undomiel, for she was the Evenstar of her people. He smiled kindly at her. ^I do not know yet, my child. She has slept for a long time, and I do not wish to rouse her yet from her sleep.^ He glanced at the sleeping girl as she shifted in bed, rolling onto her back. ^And besides, I have enough reason to believe that she is living in a nightmare right now. It is too dangerous to venture forth into her dreams.^
Arwen nodded in understanding. ^I see. Then we must wait until tomorrow before we can ask our questions. Or at least until the nightmare has passed.^
Elrond nodded in response. ^That is true, Arwen. Now, let us leave her in her sleep for now.^
The two Elves turned, and left the room, closing the door behind them.
* * *
Elrohir loosed the arrow from the bow, and watched as it hit the bulls-eye just a hair's breadth above its very center. Beside him, Elladan fired, and his arrow hit the bulls-eye just below the center.
There was a note of pride in Elladan's voice as he turned to Arwen, who was with them at that moment. ^Now see that, dear sister! Don't you think we have improved quite a bit over time?^
Arwen only smirked at them. She pulled an arrow out of her quiver, and nocked it into her bow. She pulled the string taut, then aimed. There was a sharp twang as she let go, and the arrow hit the mark dead center, cutting right between Elladan and Elrohir's arrows.
Elrohir shook his head while Elladan merely scowled. Well at least I knew better than to challenge Arwen to an archery contest. He patted his twin on the shoulder. ^It seems to me that Arwen has beaten us yet again, brother.^
Elladan muttered something under his breath for a while, then he went to reclaim the arrows that they had shot.
While he was thus occupied, Elrohir took the time to question Arwen about their "guest". ^How does the girl fare, dear sister?^
Arwen sighed, and closed her eyes in thought. ^She has been asleep for a long while, brother. But Father fears waking her up, for it seems that her mind is weaving nightmares for her. Father will only dare to walk into her dreams once they are more peaceful.^
Elrohir nodded in agreement and understanding. He knew that his Father's talent at calling people out of the realm of dreams was a wonderful blessing and had saved many lives, but if the patient was having a nightmare, then it was much too dangerous. His spirit could get caught up in the nightmare, and be unable to leave. In essence, he would die.
Elladan approached them at that moment, a smile on his face. He had apparently heard what the two of them were talking about. ^I am of the opinion that she is quite beautiful. Why, if she were dressed properly, I think that she would look rather like an Elf!^
^Aha, now I think I understand why you want Father to wake her up so quickly!^ Elrohir exclaimed.
Arwen laughed at her two brothers. ^Elladan, do not think of such things! She is, first and foremost, a guest! You cannot walk around thinking such thoughts about her! And besides, she is a mortal! I dread to imagine what Father would say if he found out that you had fallen in love with a mortal!^
There was a twinkle in Elladan's eye. ^And what is so wrong with falling in love with a mortal, dear sister? Have YOU not fallen in love with a mortal? I believe his name was Estel…^
Elrohir caught the distinctive blush in Arwen's usually pale cheeks. Of course. She has felt such emotions for Estel for a long time… Estel was their adopted brother, a mortal boy whose true name was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and the heir of Isildur, the last King of Gondor. He was the first one to find out about Arwen's love for Estel, and though he felt a little uneasy about it, he knew that this was one of the few things that would make Arwen happy, so he let it be. Eventually, Elladan got wind of it, and so did their Father. At first, Elrond didn't seem too happy about it – Arwen was determined to give up her immortality for Estel's sake, if it ever came to that – but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it.
Just then, a servant approached them, and said, "Excuse me, but your Father wishes to see you in Lady Arwen's chambers."
The three siblings looked at each other momentarily, then nodded, walking off towards the main palace.
* * *
Elrond waited patiently for his sons and daughter to arrive before he attempted anything. While he was waiting, he observed the girl who was now sleeping peacefully and most likely dreaming good dreams. The nightmares had finally passed, and it would now be safe to enter her dreams and call her forth into the world of the living.
He heard three different footsteps walking towards him, and he didn't need to look to know who was coming. ^You have arrived just in time. I was just about to wake her up.^
Elladan's voice spoke up behind him. ^Father, what do you think we should ask her when she awakens?^
^Naturally, who she is, where she came from, and what she was doing in the forest near the ford.^ Elrohir replied before Elrond could so much as make up an answer to that.
Arwen sat down on a chair at the right side of the bed, and stared thoughtfully at the sleeping girl. ^But I feel that whatever answers she may give, they will come as a shock to all of us.^
^You speak truly, child,^ Elrond muttered. Arwen had told him of the girl's strange clothing, and that had set off a spark in Elrond's mind, touching all sorts of old tales and songs that he had thought were long forgotten even by him. And one single poem stood out clearly in his mind, but he did not dare voice it out in front of everyone, not until he had gathered more evidence and more proof…
But there was no time for deliberating that now. He sighed, and clasped the girl's hand in his. He closed his eyes, and slid into a light, easy sleep, wandering through the various dream realms until he found the one he was looking for…
* ~ *
Eli wandered through the meadow, her arms swinging at her sides as the wind blew by, ruffling her hair and making the blades of grass ripple in front of her like an endless, undulating sea of green.
She smiled, something that she rarely ever did. How could she NOT smile, when the whole world around her was pleasant and peaceful? I wish that I didn't have to go back out anymore. I wish that I could just stay here and never have to leave…
She flopped down onto the grass beneath a tall tree on a hill, the grass offering a soft cushion from the hard ground. She stretched her arms out to their fullest span on the herbage, and looked on as the light of the sun winked and glimmered between the waving tree limbs. She could stay here forever, and be happy…
"I am sorry, my child, but you have been living in your dreams for far too long. Do you not think it is about time you awoke and returned to reality?"
Eli sat up slowly, lazily. She hadn't expected anyone to be in her dreams. She looked around, and saw a tall man standing beside the tree, clad in long robes of silver-white and brown. His seemingly ageless face and glimmering gray eyes were framed by long dark hair that was partially braided, but most of it was left loose and free to be tossed about by the wind. However, what caught her attention the most were the man's ears. They were pointed towards the tips, like the ears of an elf. She eyed him with narrowed eyes. "Who are you? Are you some kind of elf or something?"
The man chuckled somewhat as he sat down beside her, leaning his back against the tree for support. "You are correct on that point, my dear. But why do you seem so surprised to see an Elf such as I?"
"Because you aren't supposed to exist. Of course, this is a dream, so anything can happen, but I didn't think you'd turn out to be so…tall. I thought that Elves were only three or even two feet high at the most?"
The man – or was that Elf? – laughed at her words. "I do not know where you come from or what Elves are like in your land, but I am an Elf, and I am not that short. Perhaps you may be referring to Halflings?"
Now Eli was confused. "Eh? What's a Halfling?"
The Elf smiled at her kindly, and shook his head. "That will be enough questions for now, young lady." He stood up, and held his hand out to her. "Now, why don't we leave this place for now? You have been asleep for much too long, and I believe that now is the right time for you to return."
Eli stood up, eyeing the Elf warily. After a moment of thought, she nodded, and touched the Elf's palm. There was a blinding flash of light, and then darkness…
* ~ *
Eli's eyes flew wide open as her body gave a sharp jerk. What the… As her eyes focused in the light, she could see four blurry figures around her; one in a chair at her right, another seated at her left, and two standing at the end of the bed. She blinked, trying to clear her vision, and when it finally did, she couldn't suppress a gasp.
She was lying in a huge bed, propped up by a mountain of soft pillows and wrapped in thick blankets. She was no longer wearing her school uniform, but was clad in a white nightgown made of a soft cloth she didn't recognize.
And as for the four figures around her, Eli looked at each of them in turn, and felt her eyes slowly widen with shock. On her left sat the tall Elf who had visited her in her dreams. To her right was an extraordinarily beautiful young woman, who looked a lot like the feminine version of the man who got her out of her dreams. And at the foot her bed was a pair of twins, apparently the brothers of the young woman. All of them had pointy ears.
The woman smiled, and spoke to her in a kind and gentle voice, but her words were laced with an unusual accent Eli couldn't identify, "At last, you have awakened, child."
Eli stared at her. "Who are you? And why are you calling me a child?"
The woman laughed softly. "Forgive me for calling you a child, but at my age, you truly ARE a child. I am Arwen, daughter of Elrond, the one who called you forth from the dream realm." She lifted a hand to indicate the twins. "And these are my brother, Elladan and Elrohir. They were the ones who found you at the ford."
"What?" Everything was a still a blur memory-wise to Eli, but after a moment's thinking, everything became clear. So clear, in fact, that she winced when she remembered. "Oh yeah, right." She bowed her head slightly, trying to compose her thoughts. This is just too freaky for me…
A firm hand clamped around her wrist, and she looked up to see the man looking at her intently. "I believe that now would be a good time to tell us who you are."
Eli nodded. "I am Elisabeth Carnahan, but I prefer to be called Eli. And who might you be, sir?"
He nodded just a little in response. "I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, and father of Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir."
Eli blinked, digesting the information. "Okay…now that you know my name, may I know where I am?"
Arwen was the one to answer her. "You are in the Elf-Realm of Rivendell. And you, Lady Eli, where are you from?"
"That's going to be a little TOO hard to explain…" Eli tried to think up how she would tell these people. After all, it doesn't take a genius to know that I've ended up in a completely different world…but HOW I ended up here will be something I can't answer.
"Please try then, Lady Eli," Elladan encouraged.
Eli gazed up at him, eyeing him critically, her hazel eyes meeting his gray ones in what seemed to be a clash of wills. But she was the first one to look away. "Fine then. I'll tell you what happened…"
* * *
"And that's that."
Elladan stared at her, his mind spinning at the tale that Lady Eli had told them. It seems too fantastic to be true, but still, too strange to be considered mere fiction. Then again, it could have been Lady Eli's beautiful hazel eyes that were making his thoughts whirl…
Elrond nodded in response to her telling them the whole story. "Thank you for telling us this story, Lady Eli." He stood up, smiling kindly at the girl. "Forgive us, but we must leave for now. I will send two maidens here to help you dress in more appropriate clothing, then Arwen will accompany you in a walk around Rivendell."
A small smile made its appearance on her face; so small that only the keen eyes of an Elf would have seen it. "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Elrond." The smile disappeared, and was replaced by a frown. "Oh, and I just remembered something. By any chance, did you see my friend? She was dressed in clothes like mine when Elladan and Elrohir found me, but her hair is longer than mine, and it's straight and reddish-brown. Also, her eyes aren't light like mine, but a deep dark brown."
It was Elrohir who spoke. "I do not wish to bring such bad tidings to you right now, My Lady, but my brother and I have scoured the forest and the ford the past two days, and we did not see any sign of a girl with clothes like yours." He smiled. "But fear not! I shall go to Mirkwood and Lothlorien, and see for myself what news they have of the girl you speak of."
"And I shall go with him," Elladan volunteered, slightly sorry that he hadn't made the first offer to go out and seek Lady Eli's friend.
Elrond nodded his approval. "Very well then. You will leave at the soonest possible moment. Go first to Lothlorien, then to Mirkwood. I am certain that they will have news." With that, he bowed slightly in politeness. "My sons and I shall leave you for now, Lady Eli."
Elladan and Elrohir imitated their father's gesture, and followed him out the door. A few moments later, Arwen joined them in the hall.
Elladan gazed at his father, and noticed that his face suddenly looked troubled. ^Is something the matter, Father?^
Elrond sighed, shrugging his shoulders slightly. ^Many Ages have come and gone, yet this is the first time that that Prophecy has come true. Is the evil we are about to face so great that the Summoners are needed?^
^You speak in riddles, Father,^ Arwen murmured. ^Would you kindly explain to us what you mean?^
Elrond turned then to his sons and daughter. ^Let us go to the library then. That is the best place for me to explain this matter to you.^
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, wrapped this one up! Man, this story's getting LOOONG!!!! If anyone must know, I have a tendency to write epics, and THIS is one of them! If I'm not careful, I just might end up writing a story with the same length as Tolkien's laughs! But I'll try to keep the number of pages down. Oh yeah, and from now on I'll constantly be switching between Common and Elvish, but you can probably tell which dialogue is in Common and which ones are in Elvish. Anyway, the two girls are awake, and they're up and running (not literally though). Now is the PERFECT time to bring on the messengers asking Thranduil to join the Council of Elrond! This is where the REAL action begins! See ya next chapter!