AN: So… here's chapter one of our little story. Hope you like it… although it's a bit long. Any questions you may have concerning the prologue will probably be answered in this chapter. If not, don't hesitate to ask us.
Chapter 1: Explanations
Elyssa stared at the apprentice and the girl who wore pajamas clad with dancing carrots. Elyssa dropped to her knees next to them and began her inquisition. "Haurion! Where have you been all this time?"
"Elyssa? Is that you?" broke in Courtney before Haurion could answer. "What's up with that dress? It's so passé." Elyssa stared blankly at Courtney's own attire but chose not to say anything. Courtney had not aged a day over the years. Why, she looked younger than Elyssa. Shaking her head, she chose to ignore this and once again turned to Haurion.
"Where have you been?" she repeated.
"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.
"It's been almost forty years since we saw you last."
Haurion's face drained of color and he put a small finger to his chin. "I must have chanted the wrong words. That would explain why she's here…" he said, gesturing to Courtney who had begun eating some of the cake.
She looked up then, her mouth full. Swallowing, she explained what happened.
* * *
Courtney stood up from where she sat on her blanket. Where had Legolas gone? She wondered as she scratched the top of her head. She peered into a telescope pointing toward Silver Ridge. Now Elyssa was gone, too. A little boy stood in their place… He was on her property! Throwing her astronomy book to the ground, Courtney stalked off to confront the little intruder.
She climbed to the top of the ridge panting for breath. She heard the little boy chanting eerily but she ignored it as she finally hauled her body up to face his back.
"Hey!" she called, her voice as nasally as ever, "What are you doing trespassing on my property?"
The little boy broke off from his spell mid-sentence and swirled around to meet the offending voice, "Wha…?" Courtney ran up to the little boy, curled her fingers around his wrist and the two disappeared into the night.
* * *
"You were watching us?" Elyssa exclaimed.
"That's not important. What is important was me wondering where you guys were."
At that moment, Derek chose to return.
"Who is that?" he asked pointing to the boy. "Who is she? She's eating my cake!"
"This is Haurion, dear."
"Haurion? That's my name!"
"Yes, you were named after him."
"Named after him? He looks at least twenty years younger than me."
"Hi!" greeted Courtney who had just now noticed the tall elf. "I'm Courtney and I'm single."
"Yes, I know he looks younger than you, son—" Elyssa said, ignoring Courtney's remark.
"Son?" Courtney interrupted. "You have a son? How could you have a son? That means… oh…" she looked down slyly at Legolas who she was still sitting on. "Work fast, don't we?"
Hastily, Elyssa pulled Courtney off of Legolas and continued. "We'll explain it to you later, Derek."
Legolas sat up and looked at Courtney in dismay. "You again?" he said wearily. "Haurion, it is good to see you once more."
"Yes, but I just saw you a few hours ago. You speak as if you have not seen me in a while." Haurion pondered for a moment. "I suppose time passes more slowly here than in Elyssa's realm. Forty years you said? For Elyssa, time passes as if she were in her realm. That explains why you look like you have not aged a day," he said looking at Elyssa's still youthful face. "And you," he said, looking down at Courtney, "do not belong here."
"Where is here exactly?" Courtney asked, looking at her surroundings.
Elyssa blew the hair from her eyes and rose. "Come, we must return to the palace. Gandalf is visiting Mirkwood. He'll know what to do."
The small party headed toward the palace, Legolas leading the way.
"So," Courtney whispered to Elyssa, poking her in the ribs. "How was it?"
"How was what?"
"You know…" she said, winking awkwardly and glancing at Legolas. "…it." Elyssa groaned, resisting the urge to push her into a bush.
They made their way to the Palace where they inquired the whereabouts of Gandalf the Grey. They were disappointed to find he was no longer in Mirkwood. They then decided to inform Thranduil of their situation. Perhaps he knew where Gandalf had gone.
Minutes later they found themselves in front of Thranduil's throne, explaining what happened. He sat quietly, nodding every now and then. They were so enraptured with their tale that nobody noticed that Courtney had wandered off.
Courtney ambled toward a room full of elves busily writing on scrolls. She sat down next to an elf. A particularly handsome elf, she noted. "Hi," she greeted. The elf paid no heed to her, although he did edge away. "I'm Courtney," she continued. He glanced at her nervously for a moment before returning to his work.
"Your ears are pretty weird," she said poking a finger at it.
* * *
"I am Gandalf's apprentice," Haurion explained, "An accident occurred while I was working with him and I was transported into another realm. As I attempted to return, a girl was transported to Middle-Earth with me. Now, we must bring her to her home world."
"So you mean to tell me that you arrived from another realm?" questioned the king.
"Yes, my Lord," replied Haurion. "A girl and myself."
"I'm afraid I do not know where Gandalf is," said Thranduil, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "However, he did mention something about heading westward. To do some business, I assume. The old wizard is always on the move."
"Gandalf is the only one who knew the ingredients to the potion which brought me there. It was the very same potion that brought Legolas to another realm."
"Is there no more?"
"I'm afraid I used the last of it," Haurion mumbled, his eyes cast down.
"I suppose we head west, then," said Legolas.
"Wait, we need time to prepare. I've never been outside Mirkwood yet. Not to mention Courtney…" Everyone turned to look for the short blond girl who appeared to be missing. They frowned; the girl was more troublesome than she was worth. A loud squeal came from the direction of an open door way. They all ran to the source of the noise.
"Courtney!" Elyssa shrieked. Courtney was pinned to the floor. An elf with an inky handprint over his face pointed an arrow at her head. Papers were scattered all over the floor.
"Elyssa!! Will someone please get this psycho off me?"
Legolas waved a hand and the man relaxed and returned to his work. Elyssa sighed and stood over Courtney, offering her a hand. She gratefully accepted.
"What exactly happened here?" Elyssa asked.
"Nothing. I was just having polite conversation and then the next minute I have an arrow in my face."
Elyssa held up an inky hand, "And what about this?"
"Uh… yeah… well, I kinda spilt some and I needed a paper towel." She turned to Legolas, "Got any moist towelettes around here?"
"Listen," Elyssa began, "we're going on a trip."
"What kind of trip?" asked Courtney.
"We're going to find Gandalf, a great wizard, so that we can bring you home."
"Elyssa," Legolas whispered, "may I have a word with you?"
The two walked from the small room and Elyssa gazed up at him questioningly, "What is it?"
"This excursion… it is a dangerous one."
"I know."
"So… there are dangers, my dearest."
"Oh don't worry, Legs," Elyssa winked, "I can take care of myself." She began to walk back into the room but Legolas grabbed her arm.
"No. You must not come with us; it is not a woman's place to go on quests. I love you too much to see you hurt. I will not allow it."
An infuriating rage welled up inside Elyssa. How dare he! She was about to retort at his sexist comment, but another idea popped into her head and she bit her tongue.
"Oh, alright," Elyssa said sweetly… a little too sweetly, "Just promise me you'll get a souvenir!"
Legolas raised an eyebrow. He understood neither his wife's unusually passive turn nor the meaning of the word "souvenir" but he decided not to question it lest his wife change her demeanor.
* * *
Elyssa waved from the gates of the city. Three men sat on horseback and waved back. Legolas, Derek, and Haurion would embark on their own little adventure. She blew a kiss and waited until they were out of sight. Turning around she smacked into Courtney who had been waiting directly behind her.
"That was so sweet!" Courtney exclaimed. Elyssa was still a little dazed from the impact but Courtney, having experienced many of these, wasn't fazed in the least. "So… How was it? Huh? Was Legolas good… or good?"
Elyssa sighed and began to walk away.
"Is there something in my teeth?"
* * *
Well, that's it for now. Oh… and we just realized, we didn't mention that this was another co-authored "Jerika-Erika" fic. Thanks go to everyone who reviewed our prologue. Any comments, questions, or constructive criticisms can be placed in more reviews. We love reviews… so keep them rolling!