A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Please continue. I have updated
Ch. 8 to fix a minor grammar note pointed out by Greywind Elf (no change
in content). Tolkein Freak, more information about Amy's history comes
out in a few chapters. Enjoy!
Ch. 10
The next morning, Amy got her young companions up without too much difficulty. They did enjoy sleeping in, but the prospect of breakfast got them up.
Once she woke up, one of the first things Kim said was, "So how did your evening with Elrond go, Amy?" The Elf looked up sharply and Kim realized she'd hit closer to the mark than she'd imagined.
"It was fine. We took a walk in the woods near the city."
"Is that all?" Kim was teasing now.
"Actually, yes, it was." Amy tried to look stern, but Kim met her gaze and after a moment, the two burst out giggling.
"You like him, don't you?"
"Yeah, I suppose so. It's crazy. I barely know him, and I'm far too old to think about marriage, and he's lost his wife just recently, but when I get near him, it's like I'm your age again. Even if I wanted to consider marriage, he's so much younger than me…"
"And you couldn't care a whit for all the excuses."
"Nope. I just don't want to hurt him more than he has been already, or alienate him. I think I'm going crazy. Every time I get close to him, my heart starts beating a thousand times a minute, or else it feels like it stops all together. Ugh! You guys are the ones who are supposed to act like this, not me!"
"So you're going to blame it all on age?" Mattie walked over, brushing her hair.
"I never said that."
"You implied it. You're too old for him, you're too old for romance—give it a break, Amy. My impression has been that age doesn't matter for Elves, anyway."
"It isn't quite as simple as that, but I suppose you're right that I'm obsessing on it. The rational part of my mind is trying to make any excuse it can to convince my heart to give up on him. I lived in your world for so long I picked up on a few of your ideas about age. I also learned not to get close to people, since they were just going to die, anyway. I guess I'm just a little afraid to get close to people."
"Well, something tells me you should quit it! You can't distance yourself from everyone, and you'll make yourself miserable if you try."
"I know. It's just that I don't want to get hurt. Death is a hard thing for Elves to deal with."
Kim walked over and hugged her. "Come on. Let's get down to breakfast before we're too depressed to go at all." Amy laughed a bit, then left the room to tap on the guys' door. They were taking their time, so the girls went down without them. When they got down to the hall, Elrond asked about the guys.
"They just took their time getting ready. I think they overslept. Without Glorfindel to wake them, we're lucky they woke up at all. I'll never understand Men." Arwen, sitting beside her father, smiled a little at the comment. Her brothers weren't there yet, either, and Glorfindel was already out searching for Aragorn and the Hobbits.
Elrond simply shrugged, then stood. "Then would you care to join me?" He pulled out a chair, which Amy sat in. The others took places around them. The guys got in about five minutes later, but the places at Elrond's table were filled, so they filled in where they could. Amy spent most of breakfast chatting with Elrond and Arwen. Any time Elrond wasn't looking, Amy's eyes were on him. She didn't eat a lot, picking at her food. After breakfast, Elrond left to attend to a few issues of the household, and Amy went with the young people out to the gardens. Mattie and Mark headed off on their own, receiving a good measure of ribbing in the process, then the rest of them settled down to talk.
"So how are you guys adapting to life here? Is it everything you imagined?"
"That, and then some." Kim laughed. "It's amazing."
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. What about you, Pete?"
"We're adjusting pretty well." Pete answered after a moment. "I can't claim nearly as many years as you, but I think age has its benefits. I'm enjoying learning about this world, and Legolas promised to give me an introduction to archery later today. I've never held a bow before. I'll probably make a total fool of myself."
"Legolas is a master archer. Just don't be surprised if you come out of it a little sore. It isn't quite as simple as it looks, but if anyone can teach you, he can. Beth, what about you?"
"Some of the musicians invited me to spend the afternoon with them. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a little unsure of myself. I was a good musician before, but I'm not sure exactly how to fit in here. Oh, well. I'm sure it will be fine."
Randy whispered something to Kim, and after a moment, the two of them excused themselves and walked off together. Pete watched them leave, then laughed softly. "Do you think those two will ever figure out they're crazy about each other?"
"I hope so. I didn't bring all of you here to play matchmaker, but it is an added benefit." Amy was grinning a bit, too. "Now if I can just do something with the two of you…" She laughed out loud as Beth looked down, blushing, and Pete sputtered for a moment. Amy stood gracefully. "I'll see you two later. I'm going to go try catch up on the news of the last age—the three thousand years that I missed." With that, she left them there and walked off, smiling to herself. They just needed a nudge, and she'd given them that.
With the couples all off on their own, Amy was left to herself. She wandered inside for a while, but found no one to talk with. Everyone was busy with their own errands. Eventually, her wanderings took her by Elrond's study. He was sitting at a table with a book in front of him, but his gaze was vacant, staring out toward the river valley.
"Elrond?" Amy called out, but the Elven lord didn't respond. Hesitantly, she walked in. "Elrond?" she asked again softly. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped a bit.
"Almare. Forgive me. I did not hear you enter." He placed a hand on hers, still resting on her shoulder.
Amy was distracted herself. When she'd first touched his shoulder, her fingers had brushed the ebony hair, and now his warm fingers were covering hers. She regained enough of her wits to reply. "I saw you sitting, and I wondered if everything is alright…"
"Forgive me for worrying you." Elrond stood, not releasing her hand, but moving it from his shoulder, holding it between them. "It seems I spend more and more time in contemplation lately. I worry over the events of Middle Earth at large. Glorfindel will likely have to face the Nazgûl, and that is something I would not wish on any being. The One Ring is on its way here, and soon I will have to guide a council that will decide what to do with it. Whatever wisdom I have gained in my life, I fear it may not be enough to guide us through this time, and even if the Ring is destroyed, and Aragorn takes his throne…" Elrond trailed off.
"Arwen will stay with him, the Elves will fade, and you will have to decide whether to stay, alone, or cross the sea…" Amy finished for him.
"Still alone." Amy closed her eyes at Elrond's words. She could see the pain in his eyes, hear it in his voice.
"You aren't alone. The other Elves will stand by you. You won't be left alone."
"Alone amongst a crowd is often harder than having no one at all around you."
"I suppose it is. Do you really feel that alone, here among your people?"
"At times. I have friends, but no one with whom I can truly share my life." Elrond paused for a moment, then seemed to realize he was still holding her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. "Again I must beg your forgiveness. I do not need to burden you with my complaints."
When Elrond released her hand, Amy didn't let it drop, but brought it to his cheek. "If you don't share your burdens, they will continually weigh heavier and heavier on you. A burden is made lighter by sharing, not only because it is shared between more people. I'm convinced that the sum of the weight is less when a burden is shared. I've had to learn that through many hard experiences, so I think I have cause to speak."
Elrond smiled softly, then turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. To Amy, it felt as if a jolt of electricity was running through her. Elrond turned his head back to meet her eyes, covering her hand with his own. He was standing so close, Amy could have easily reached up and kissed him, but looking into his eyes, she could tell he wasn't ready for that, so she hugged him briefly, then stepped away.
"Thank you." Elrond's words could have meant a great many things. Thank you for giving him a sympathetic ear, thank you for her friendship, thank you for not kissing him, thank you for the possibility of a relationship, or for giving him a way out… Most likely it was at a mixture of several things. She wasn't sure what she thought about the whole thing, either. She was attracted to Elrond, but she barely knew him, and while she was lonely, she wasn't sure if she was ready for a relationship, either. What had started as simple physical attraction was quickly becoming more. She turned and walked out, then wandered until she found Gandalf, and they chatted until lunch.
Ch. 10
The next morning, Amy got her young companions up without too much difficulty. They did enjoy sleeping in, but the prospect of breakfast got them up.
Once she woke up, one of the first things Kim said was, "So how did your evening with Elrond go, Amy?" The Elf looked up sharply and Kim realized she'd hit closer to the mark than she'd imagined.
"It was fine. We took a walk in the woods near the city."
"Is that all?" Kim was teasing now.
"Actually, yes, it was." Amy tried to look stern, but Kim met her gaze and after a moment, the two burst out giggling.
"You like him, don't you?"
"Yeah, I suppose so. It's crazy. I barely know him, and I'm far too old to think about marriage, and he's lost his wife just recently, but when I get near him, it's like I'm your age again. Even if I wanted to consider marriage, he's so much younger than me…"
"And you couldn't care a whit for all the excuses."
"Nope. I just don't want to hurt him more than he has been already, or alienate him. I think I'm going crazy. Every time I get close to him, my heart starts beating a thousand times a minute, or else it feels like it stops all together. Ugh! You guys are the ones who are supposed to act like this, not me!"
"So you're going to blame it all on age?" Mattie walked over, brushing her hair.
"I never said that."
"You implied it. You're too old for him, you're too old for romance—give it a break, Amy. My impression has been that age doesn't matter for Elves, anyway."
"It isn't quite as simple as that, but I suppose you're right that I'm obsessing on it. The rational part of my mind is trying to make any excuse it can to convince my heart to give up on him. I lived in your world for so long I picked up on a few of your ideas about age. I also learned not to get close to people, since they were just going to die, anyway. I guess I'm just a little afraid to get close to people."
"Well, something tells me you should quit it! You can't distance yourself from everyone, and you'll make yourself miserable if you try."
"I know. It's just that I don't want to get hurt. Death is a hard thing for Elves to deal with."
Kim walked over and hugged her. "Come on. Let's get down to breakfast before we're too depressed to go at all." Amy laughed a bit, then left the room to tap on the guys' door. They were taking their time, so the girls went down without them. When they got down to the hall, Elrond asked about the guys.
"They just took their time getting ready. I think they overslept. Without Glorfindel to wake them, we're lucky they woke up at all. I'll never understand Men." Arwen, sitting beside her father, smiled a little at the comment. Her brothers weren't there yet, either, and Glorfindel was already out searching for Aragorn and the Hobbits.
Elrond simply shrugged, then stood. "Then would you care to join me?" He pulled out a chair, which Amy sat in. The others took places around them. The guys got in about five minutes later, but the places at Elrond's table were filled, so they filled in where they could. Amy spent most of breakfast chatting with Elrond and Arwen. Any time Elrond wasn't looking, Amy's eyes were on him. She didn't eat a lot, picking at her food. After breakfast, Elrond left to attend to a few issues of the household, and Amy went with the young people out to the gardens. Mattie and Mark headed off on their own, receiving a good measure of ribbing in the process, then the rest of them settled down to talk.
"So how are you guys adapting to life here? Is it everything you imagined?"
"That, and then some." Kim laughed. "It's amazing."
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. What about you, Pete?"
"We're adjusting pretty well." Pete answered after a moment. "I can't claim nearly as many years as you, but I think age has its benefits. I'm enjoying learning about this world, and Legolas promised to give me an introduction to archery later today. I've never held a bow before. I'll probably make a total fool of myself."
"Legolas is a master archer. Just don't be surprised if you come out of it a little sore. It isn't quite as simple as it looks, but if anyone can teach you, he can. Beth, what about you?"
"Some of the musicians invited me to spend the afternoon with them. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a little unsure of myself. I was a good musician before, but I'm not sure exactly how to fit in here. Oh, well. I'm sure it will be fine."
Randy whispered something to Kim, and after a moment, the two of them excused themselves and walked off together. Pete watched them leave, then laughed softly. "Do you think those two will ever figure out they're crazy about each other?"
"I hope so. I didn't bring all of you here to play matchmaker, but it is an added benefit." Amy was grinning a bit, too. "Now if I can just do something with the two of you…" She laughed out loud as Beth looked down, blushing, and Pete sputtered for a moment. Amy stood gracefully. "I'll see you two later. I'm going to go try catch up on the news of the last age—the three thousand years that I missed." With that, she left them there and walked off, smiling to herself. They just needed a nudge, and she'd given them that.
With the couples all off on their own, Amy was left to herself. She wandered inside for a while, but found no one to talk with. Everyone was busy with their own errands. Eventually, her wanderings took her by Elrond's study. He was sitting at a table with a book in front of him, but his gaze was vacant, staring out toward the river valley.
"Elrond?" Amy called out, but the Elven lord didn't respond. Hesitantly, she walked in. "Elrond?" she asked again softly. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped a bit.
"Almare. Forgive me. I did not hear you enter." He placed a hand on hers, still resting on her shoulder.
Amy was distracted herself. When she'd first touched his shoulder, her fingers had brushed the ebony hair, and now his warm fingers were covering hers. She regained enough of her wits to reply. "I saw you sitting, and I wondered if everything is alright…"
"Forgive me for worrying you." Elrond stood, not releasing her hand, but moving it from his shoulder, holding it between them. "It seems I spend more and more time in contemplation lately. I worry over the events of Middle Earth at large. Glorfindel will likely have to face the Nazgûl, and that is something I would not wish on any being. The One Ring is on its way here, and soon I will have to guide a council that will decide what to do with it. Whatever wisdom I have gained in my life, I fear it may not be enough to guide us through this time, and even if the Ring is destroyed, and Aragorn takes his throne…" Elrond trailed off.
"Arwen will stay with him, the Elves will fade, and you will have to decide whether to stay, alone, or cross the sea…" Amy finished for him.
"Still alone." Amy closed her eyes at Elrond's words. She could see the pain in his eyes, hear it in his voice.
"You aren't alone. The other Elves will stand by you. You won't be left alone."
"Alone amongst a crowd is often harder than having no one at all around you."
"I suppose it is. Do you really feel that alone, here among your people?"
"At times. I have friends, but no one with whom I can truly share my life." Elrond paused for a moment, then seemed to realize he was still holding her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. "Again I must beg your forgiveness. I do not need to burden you with my complaints."
When Elrond released her hand, Amy didn't let it drop, but brought it to his cheek. "If you don't share your burdens, they will continually weigh heavier and heavier on you. A burden is made lighter by sharing, not only because it is shared between more people. I'm convinced that the sum of the weight is less when a burden is shared. I've had to learn that through many hard experiences, so I think I have cause to speak."
Elrond smiled softly, then turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. To Amy, it felt as if a jolt of electricity was running through her. Elrond turned his head back to meet her eyes, covering her hand with his own. He was standing so close, Amy could have easily reached up and kissed him, but looking into his eyes, she could tell he wasn't ready for that, so she hugged him briefly, then stepped away.
"Thank you." Elrond's words could have meant a great many things. Thank you for giving him a sympathetic ear, thank you for her friendship, thank you for not kissing him, thank you for the possibility of a relationship, or for giving him a way out… Most likely it was at a mixture of several things. She wasn't sure what she thought about the whole thing, either. She was attracted to Elrond, but she barely knew him, and while she was lonely, she wasn't sure if she was ready for a relationship, either. What had started as simple physical attraction was quickly becoming more. She turned and walked out, then wandered until she found Gandalf, and they chatted until lunch.