~ Sightseeing in Middle-Earth ~
~ Disclaimer: ~
Not mine. Erin's mine. Otherwise, not mine.
~ Chapter II~
~ Elrond, Arwen and more Bilbo ~
After several more turns and what seemed like an hour of walking, Merenmir stopped in front of a door and knocked. After a moment, she opened the door, and I presumed her Elven hearing had caught the command to enter. Inside, the room was small, and standing in it were Lord Elrond and Arwen. They looked very much like the actors in the movies, but there was a subtle difference to them - they seemed more...I don't know, graceful, older, wise. More Elvish, really. Also, once I really got thinking about it, there was an almost indescernable difference in their face shape - more elongated, and the outer edges of their eyes tilted upwards slightly, while the eye shape in general was more almond-shaped, like asian eyes.
"Lord Elrond, Lady Arwen." Merenmir said, curtseying, and the eyed me when I bowed slightly instead of curtseying. Elrond arched an eyebrow at that, and Arwen half-smiled. Since I came from the 21st century, I never really had to curtsey, or even bow, to anyone, and I wasn't about to attempt a curtsey now. I was liable to trip over my own feet. Not that I wanted to curtsey. I had always been something of a tomboy, and curtseying just went against my grain.
"Welcome to Rivendell, Lady Erin." Elrond said.
"Nice to be here." I said, not quite sure what to say.
"Merenmir tells us that you managed to arrive without anyone knowing." Elrond commented.
"Well, you were all pretty busy dealing with your new arrivals." I said with a shrug.
"Still, I am amazed you did not find an elf before finding the hobbit." Elrond said.
"I did. They said to go to you. But, as I said, you were busy. So I just kinda wandered around until I found someone - who turned out to be Bilbo." I said.
"Your speech is quite odd." Arwen commented, speaking for the first time. "Tell me, where is your homeland?"
"A looooooooooooong ways away." I said emphatically.
"But what is it called?" Arwen asked, looking curious.
"Canada." I said simply.
"I have never heard of that place." Arwen said with a slight frown.
"Well I said it was a long ways away." I said with a shrug.
"Indeed." Elrond said, frowning slightly. "Tell me, where on Middle-Earth is this 'Canada' you speak of?"
"It's not on Middle-Earth." I said flatly. THAT made them look at me.
"Explain." Elrond said sharply.
"Canada is a country on another world entirely in another time entirely." I said.
"So you are not of Middle-Earth." Arwen said, eyeing me. I shook my head.
"Then what are you doing here?" Elrond asked.
"Came looking for adventure? I dunno. I fell asleep at home, and woke up here." I said with a shrug, not really feeling up to explaining about the Tolkien's writing. I was warm, yes, but I was tired, my feet hurt from the barefoot trek through the forest, and I STILL hadn't been fed.
"So you do not know how you came to be here?" Arwen asked, curious once more.
"Well, I wished on a falling star to come here, but I've wished on a falling star for plenty of things to happen, and they haven't. So, no, not really." I replied with a shrug. "All I know for certain is that I'm in Rivendell, Middle-Earth, Bilbo's a fun hobbit, and I'm getting cold again." At this, Elrond and Arwen seemed to notice that I was not exactly dressed in normal clothes.
"Well, we may do something about that after you answer one question for me." Elrond said.
"What?" I asked.
"Are you loyal to Sauron or the free peoples?" Elrond asked, and his eyes seemed to bore into me as he waited for an answer.
"Sauron's a yucky evil guy. So that would be a 'loyal to the free peoples'." I said, shifting uncomfortably under Elrond's gaze.
"Very well." Elrond said. "Merenmir, go find a room and some clothes for our guest." Merenmir nodded, and curtseyed once before heading out. I bowed slightly, again, and followed her out. Once outside, Merenmir turned and eyed me.
"You should have curtseyed." she said.
"Don't know how." I said promptly. Merenmir gaped at me, and I shrugged. Then Merenmir shook her head, and started walking again. She led me back the way we'd come - at least, I thought it was. We went by Bilbo's door again, I know that much. She eventually stopped in front of a door and opened it. Inside was a cozy little room, with a bed, some chairs, a chest, and a small fire place. Other then that, there was a window on the other side of the room, looking out onto the houses courtyard, and that was it.
"This will be your room." Merenmir said, motioning to the room. "We'll have to find some clothes to fit you, and get something for the fireplace, but it should do nicely."
"Very nicely." I said, sitting on the bed.
"Now then, how tall are you?" Ielenia asked.
"Um...somewhere between 5 and 6 feet?" I replied helpfully. Merenmir sighed.
"Stand up." she ordered, and I did so. She looked me up and down for a few moments.
"Stay here, I'll be back." she said, and disappeared out through the door. I sat back down on the bed to wait, and what seemed like half an hour later, Merenmir came back with a pile of clothes, followed by another elf with an armful of wood for the fireplace. The other elf set the wood down by the fireplace, nodded at me, and left without saying a word. Merenmir, on the other hand, set down her pile of clothes and turned to me.
"Stand up." she ordered again, and I complied. Then she began to pull dresses out of the pile of clothes and hold them up to me, occasionally asking me to slip one on over my clothes. She did this is silence, and I soon got incredibly bored. Finally, Merenmir nodded and folded all the dresses but one up again and piled them up again. She lifted them, and was about to leave, when I decided it was time to say something about my clothing preference.
"I don't suppose it would be possible to get tunics and breeches to wear instead of dresses?" I asked, and Merenmir stopped and stared at me.
"If that is what you want, of course." She said smoothly, recovering. "Though you should have at least one dress."
"Of course." I said. Merenmir came back and retrieved the dress he'd left on my bed, folded it up, and headed out again. A few moments after she left, Bilbo appeared in the door.
"Hallo, Erin!" he said cheerfully. "So this is where they've put you."
"Yep." I said.
"How did your meeting with Elrond go?" Bilbo asked, wandering around my room and looking at random things.
"Oh, good I suppose." I said with a shrug.
"Wonderful." Bilbo said, then tsked as he saw the fireplace. "No fire?"
"Quite frankly, I haven't had the time to start one, and wouldn't know where to begin." I replied.
"Well here, let me show you." said Bilbo, and the two of us set about building a fire. We had a good sized fire going by the time Merenmir came back with clothes for me.
"These should be good." Merenmir said. "There's a blue dress on top here that I thought would look nice on you."
"Ooo, blue." I said. "Best colour in the world."
"I rather like green." Bilbo commented from his perch on one of the chairs.
"To each their own." I said with a shrug as Merenmir opened the chest at the foot of the bed and put the pile of clothes in. Peering into the chest, she muttered to herself before getting up and leaving again. Bilbo and I, having a conversation about different colours and their advantages and disadvantages, barely noticed her leave. We did, however, notice when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in?" I said, curious, and the door opened to reveal Arwen.
"Merenmir said I would find you here, Bilbo." Arwen said with a smile. "Father wants to talk to you."
"Oh, mustn't keep him waiting, then." Bilbo said, hopping off the chair. "I'll see you later then, Erin!" he said, waved, and went out. Arwen watched the door, amused, and grinned along with me as Bilbo suddenly appeared again.
"Where did you say Elrond was again?" he asked.
"In the chambers on the west side of the house." Arwen said, still grinning.
"Right then." Bilbo said, and disappeared again.
"Sorry to rob you of your company like that." Arwen said apologetically as she turned back to me.
"Oh, it's no problem. I was thinking I should kick him out soon so I could get changed, anyways." I said, shrugging.
"Well then I will leave and let you get changed before Merenmir comes back with the blankets." Arwen said, smiling.
"Oh, that's what she went to get." I commented, half to myself. "Well, see you later, then." Arwen nodded, and left, closing the door behind her. I went over to the chest Merenmir had left open and rifled through it. There were several sets of clothing in there, and I pulled out a pair of tan breeches and a light green tunic. There was also a belt in the chest, and I quickly changed, mimicking how I'd seen the elves in Rivendell wearing the outfit. Merenmir came back a few moments after I'd finished, carrying a pile of blankets. She put these in the chest, then looked up at me and nodded approvingly.
"Somehow they look good on you." Merenmir commented.
"I'm built like a guy." I said with a shrug. "I've never looked all that good in women's clothes."
"I am sure you have just not found your style." Merenmir said soothingly.
"Oh, I've found my style. Breeches and tunics for me." I said, grinning.
"What would you like done with your old clothes?" Merenmir asked, eyeing the clothes where they lay on a chair.
"Can I keep 'em?" I asked, feeling suddenly possessive and slightly homesick, and Merenmir reluctantly nodded.
"Of course." she said, and folded them neatly before adding them to the chest at the bottom of the bed. "Are you hungry?" she asked, turning to me.
"YES." I said emphatically, and Merenmir hid a smile.
"Let's go get you something to eat, then." she said, and I followed her out. We went down to the kitchens and found some food, then Merenmir excused herself and went off. I wandered around after that, getting myself thoroughly lost. Though, as usually happens when one gets oneself lost, I ended up someplace interesting - the little hall where the shards of Narsil were kept. The pieces of the sword were all messed up, and after looking around and becoming extremely bored, yet not wanting to wander off and get more lost, I set to figuring out how the shards went together. Merenmir found me a few hours later, after I'd sorted out the shards, once more bored out of my skull.
"You've almost missed supper." she said, raising an eyebrow.
"I got lost and figured it was better to stay in one place than wander around and get even more lost." I said, waving a hand through the air vaguely. Merenmir nodded in approval.
"Very well. Now come, your presence will be expected at supper. Some important guests have arrived." she said.
"Strider and the other three hobbits finally got here?" I asked nonchalantly, and Merenmir's eyes widened.
"How did you know that?" she asked, her suspicious look from earlier in Bilbo's room returning.
"My secret." I said, grinning mischievously. "Now, lead the way back to my room. I presume I'll be expected to wear a dress to supper." Merenmir eyed me, as if wondering whether or not to press the subject.
"Yes, of course." Merenmir said, evidently deciding not to press the subject. Then she set off down the hallway she'd entered through, me following close behind.
~ Disclaimer: ~
Not mine. Erin's mine. Otherwise, not mine.
~ Chapter II~
~ Elrond, Arwen and more Bilbo ~
After several more turns and what seemed like an hour of walking, Merenmir stopped in front of a door and knocked. After a moment, she opened the door, and I presumed her Elven hearing had caught the command to enter. Inside, the room was small, and standing in it were Lord Elrond and Arwen. They looked very much like the actors in the movies, but there was a subtle difference to them - they seemed more...I don't know, graceful, older, wise. More Elvish, really. Also, once I really got thinking about it, there was an almost indescernable difference in their face shape - more elongated, and the outer edges of their eyes tilted upwards slightly, while the eye shape in general was more almond-shaped, like asian eyes.
"Lord Elrond, Lady Arwen." Merenmir said, curtseying, and the eyed me when I bowed slightly instead of curtseying. Elrond arched an eyebrow at that, and Arwen half-smiled. Since I came from the 21st century, I never really had to curtsey, or even bow, to anyone, and I wasn't about to attempt a curtsey now. I was liable to trip over my own feet. Not that I wanted to curtsey. I had always been something of a tomboy, and curtseying just went against my grain.
"Welcome to Rivendell, Lady Erin." Elrond said.
"Nice to be here." I said, not quite sure what to say.
"Merenmir tells us that you managed to arrive without anyone knowing." Elrond commented.
"Well, you were all pretty busy dealing with your new arrivals." I said with a shrug.
"Still, I am amazed you did not find an elf before finding the hobbit." Elrond said.
"I did. They said to go to you. But, as I said, you were busy. So I just kinda wandered around until I found someone - who turned out to be Bilbo." I said.
"Your speech is quite odd." Arwen commented, speaking for the first time. "Tell me, where is your homeland?"
"A looooooooooooong ways away." I said emphatically.
"But what is it called?" Arwen asked, looking curious.
"Canada." I said simply.
"I have never heard of that place." Arwen said with a slight frown.
"Well I said it was a long ways away." I said with a shrug.
"Indeed." Elrond said, frowning slightly. "Tell me, where on Middle-Earth is this 'Canada' you speak of?"
"It's not on Middle-Earth." I said flatly. THAT made them look at me.
"Explain." Elrond said sharply.
"Canada is a country on another world entirely in another time entirely." I said.
"So you are not of Middle-Earth." Arwen said, eyeing me. I shook my head.
"Then what are you doing here?" Elrond asked.
"Came looking for adventure? I dunno. I fell asleep at home, and woke up here." I said with a shrug, not really feeling up to explaining about the Tolkien's writing. I was warm, yes, but I was tired, my feet hurt from the barefoot trek through the forest, and I STILL hadn't been fed.
"So you do not know how you came to be here?" Arwen asked, curious once more.
"Well, I wished on a falling star to come here, but I've wished on a falling star for plenty of things to happen, and they haven't. So, no, not really." I replied with a shrug. "All I know for certain is that I'm in Rivendell, Middle-Earth, Bilbo's a fun hobbit, and I'm getting cold again." At this, Elrond and Arwen seemed to notice that I was not exactly dressed in normal clothes.
"Well, we may do something about that after you answer one question for me." Elrond said.
"What?" I asked.
"Are you loyal to Sauron or the free peoples?" Elrond asked, and his eyes seemed to bore into me as he waited for an answer.
"Sauron's a yucky evil guy. So that would be a 'loyal to the free peoples'." I said, shifting uncomfortably under Elrond's gaze.
"Very well." Elrond said. "Merenmir, go find a room and some clothes for our guest." Merenmir nodded, and curtseyed once before heading out. I bowed slightly, again, and followed her out. Once outside, Merenmir turned and eyed me.
"You should have curtseyed." she said.
"Don't know how." I said promptly. Merenmir gaped at me, and I shrugged. Then Merenmir shook her head, and started walking again. She led me back the way we'd come - at least, I thought it was. We went by Bilbo's door again, I know that much. She eventually stopped in front of a door and opened it. Inside was a cozy little room, with a bed, some chairs, a chest, and a small fire place. Other then that, there was a window on the other side of the room, looking out onto the houses courtyard, and that was it.
"This will be your room." Merenmir said, motioning to the room. "We'll have to find some clothes to fit you, and get something for the fireplace, but it should do nicely."
"Very nicely." I said, sitting on the bed.
"Now then, how tall are you?" Ielenia asked.
"Um...somewhere between 5 and 6 feet?" I replied helpfully. Merenmir sighed.
"Stand up." she ordered, and I did so. She looked me up and down for a few moments.
"Stay here, I'll be back." she said, and disappeared out through the door. I sat back down on the bed to wait, and what seemed like half an hour later, Merenmir came back with a pile of clothes, followed by another elf with an armful of wood for the fireplace. The other elf set the wood down by the fireplace, nodded at me, and left without saying a word. Merenmir, on the other hand, set down her pile of clothes and turned to me.
"Stand up." she ordered again, and I complied. Then she began to pull dresses out of the pile of clothes and hold them up to me, occasionally asking me to slip one on over my clothes. She did this is silence, and I soon got incredibly bored. Finally, Merenmir nodded and folded all the dresses but one up again and piled them up again. She lifted them, and was about to leave, when I decided it was time to say something about my clothing preference.
"I don't suppose it would be possible to get tunics and breeches to wear instead of dresses?" I asked, and Merenmir stopped and stared at me.
"If that is what you want, of course." She said smoothly, recovering. "Though you should have at least one dress."
"Of course." I said. Merenmir came back and retrieved the dress he'd left on my bed, folded it up, and headed out again. A few moments after she left, Bilbo appeared in the door.
"Hallo, Erin!" he said cheerfully. "So this is where they've put you."
"Yep." I said.
"How did your meeting with Elrond go?" Bilbo asked, wandering around my room and looking at random things.
"Oh, good I suppose." I said with a shrug.
"Wonderful." Bilbo said, then tsked as he saw the fireplace. "No fire?"
"Quite frankly, I haven't had the time to start one, and wouldn't know where to begin." I replied.
"Well here, let me show you." said Bilbo, and the two of us set about building a fire. We had a good sized fire going by the time Merenmir came back with clothes for me.
"These should be good." Merenmir said. "There's a blue dress on top here that I thought would look nice on you."
"Ooo, blue." I said. "Best colour in the world."
"I rather like green." Bilbo commented from his perch on one of the chairs.
"To each their own." I said with a shrug as Merenmir opened the chest at the foot of the bed and put the pile of clothes in. Peering into the chest, she muttered to herself before getting up and leaving again. Bilbo and I, having a conversation about different colours and their advantages and disadvantages, barely noticed her leave. We did, however, notice when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in?" I said, curious, and the door opened to reveal Arwen.
"Merenmir said I would find you here, Bilbo." Arwen said with a smile. "Father wants to talk to you."
"Oh, mustn't keep him waiting, then." Bilbo said, hopping off the chair. "I'll see you later then, Erin!" he said, waved, and went out. Arwen watched the door, amused, and grinned along with me as Bilbo suddenly appeared again.
"Where did you say Elrond was again?" he asked.
"In the chambers on the west side of the house." Arwen said, still grinning.
"Right then." Bilbo said, and disappeared again.
"Sorry to rob you of your company like that." Arwen said apologetically as she turned back to me.
"Oh, it's no problem. I was thinking I should kick him out soon so I could get changed, anyways." I said, shrugging.
"Well then I will leave and let you get changed before Merenmir comes back with the blankets." Arwen said, smiling.
"Oh, that's what she went to get." I commented, half to myself. "Well, see you later, then." Arwen nodded, and left, closing the door behind her. I went over to the chest Merenmir had left open and rifled through it. There were several sets of clothing in there, and I pulled out a pair of tan breeches and a light green tunic. There was also a belt in the chest, and I quickly changed, mimicking how I'd seen the elves in Rivendell wearing the outfit. Merenmir came back a few moments after I'd finished, carrying a pile of blankets. She put these in the chest, then looked up at me and nodded approvingly.
"Somehow they look good on you." Merenmir commented.
"I'm built like a guy." I said with a shrug. "I've never looked all that good in women's clothes."
"I am sure you have just not found your style." Merenmir said soothingly.
"Oh, I've found my style. Breeches and tunics for me." I said, grinning.
"What would you like done with your old clothes?" Merenmir asked, eyeing the clothes where they lay on a chair.
"Can I keep 'em?" I asked, feeling suddenly possessive and slightly homesick, and Merenmir reluctantly nodded.
"Of course." she said, and folded them neatly before adding them to the chest at the bottom of the bed. "Are you hungry?" she asked, turning to me.
"YES." I said emphatically, and Merenmir hid a smile.
"Let's go get you something to eat, then." she said, and I followed her out. We went down to the kitchens and found some food, then Merenmir excused herself and went off. I wandered around after that, getting myself thoroughly lost. Though, as usually happens when one gets oneself lost, I ended up someplace interesting - the little hall where the shards of Narsil were kept. The pieces of the sword were all messed up, and after looking around and becoming extremely bored, yet not wanting to wander off and get more lost, I set to figuring out how the shards went together. Merenmir found me a few hours later, after I'd sorted out the shards, once more bored out of my skull.
"You've almost missed supper." she said, raising an eyebrow.
"I got lost and figured it was better to stay in one place than wander around and get even more lost." I said, waving a hand through the air vaguely. Merenmir nodded in approval.
"Very well. Now come, your presence will be expected at supper. Some important guests have arrived." she said.
"Strider and the other three hobbits finally got here?" I asked nonchalantly, and Merenmir's eyes widened.
"How did you know that?" she asked, her suspicious look from earlier in Bilbo's room returning.
"My secret." I said, grinning mischievously. "Now, lead the way back to my room. I presume I'll be expected to wear a dress to supper." Merenmir eyed me, as if wondering whether or not to press the subject.
"Yes, of course." Merenmir said, evidently deciding not to press the subject. Then she set off down the hallway she'd entered through, me following close behind.