A/N- Konbanwa!!! I've been snowed in to my own house and my school is cancelled for tomorrow, so what better to do but write!!! Oh, BTW, I know this is LOTR and stuff, but if any of you are really into Japanese Anime and Manga (just like me^^) and you have not read the Manga "Planet Ladder" by Yuri Harushima or "Chobits" by CLAMP, then I really recommend that you do. Now, It's published by Tokyo Pop, so it'll be in the original Jap format (a.k.a. backwards). I know that had nothing to do with LOTR, but I just had to tell ya^^.
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First, she could smell. A scent of dried spices and trees, a very soothing combination, filled the air. She let herself breath in the sweet scents for a while before arousing her next sense, hearing. At first it was muffled and far away, as if someone were shouting at her from a great distance, but then it became clearer. Sharp, melodical tones and elegant, flowing words. She had never heard anything like it in her life. Despite the serenity and grace of the words, Ioret could detect the heated phrases and snappy punctuations. They were arguing. She heard the soft, light tone of a older woman and the slightly deeper, regal tone of a noble lady. As she listened she began to feel a slight itch upon her eyelids, and slowly, emerging from the deep sleep, Ioret began to open her eyes. The voices stopped. Ioret could already begin to see the faint outlines of two figures, hunched and leaning over her. Ioret blinked and began to see the soft shadows of color and the beginning traces of the sharply defined faces. One of the figures leaning over her, the one with the beautiful brown hair, began to speak to her in the common tongue. This time Ioret understood.
"I am glad to see you are awake. You had me very worried. Hypothermia is a very dangerous illness in humans." Ioret could only stare up at her. Her voice was beautiful, but it seemed, somehow, marred by the common tongue, as if not fully suited for it. Ioret attempted to raise herself up, but found she could not. It felt as if her body had been encased in an almost impenetrable layer of ice.
"W-where am I?" Ioret could barely hear her own words. It felt like she had not spoken in years. Io saw the faint traces of a smile form on the woman's face as she continued on, passing over Iorets question as if it had not been asked at all.
"You are very lucky I found you, young lady. Your horse is fortunate as well. You are both very ill. You have indeed stumbled very far from home." Ioret felt the person on her left press a warm cloth to her forehead. She could see clearly now and noticed that she lay in a simple, yet, in it's own way, handsome room. The bright morning sunlight poured in from the tall, silver windows, illuminating the room, playing shadows across the bed sheets and over the walls. Ioret could see outside into the fairy-like streets of the city. The stones looked like diamonds under the cheerful sun, and the sound of a babbling brook could be heard through one of the open windows. Ioret could almost picture the crystal waters and little multi-colored fish floundering through the ripples. She could also see some of the citizens from her bedside window. Beautiful people with shining blond hair and milky white skin. Ioret envied them and thought scornfully on her own dark and swarthy looks. In the far corner of the room there was a table upon which lay a number of bottles and medicines filled with various concoctions. There were three people in the room as well, each as beautiful as those on the streets. The first woman, the one on her left, wore a white apron and cap. She had clear sky-blue eyes and straight blond hair that had been carefully tucked up under her hat. She held a white linen washcloth in one hand and a red dipping bowl in the other. Io took her to be the nurse. Next in the room was a man, also assumed to be another medical attendant. He too had light blue eyes and long blond hair, except his had been pulled back in a half-braided style. Ioret noticed that he had been spooning a dark purple powder from one of the containers on the table into a small, handle-less glass. The last figure in the room was the one that had spoken to Ioret before. She had moonlight like skin and her rich brown hair hung loose down her back, but what Ioret found the most intriguing feature on all of these people were their delicately pointed ears. Deep in the back of her mind, Ioret knew she had been told about these people, but given her present condition and current state of confusion, Ioret could only stare in awe. After fully taking in her surroundings Io gathered her courage and cleared her throat to ask another question.
"How- how did you know I was a girl?" Ioret coughed out. "Was it that transparent?" She let out a sad sigh. Mena had been wrong. The disguise had not saved her. The lady smiled warmly and pressed a comforting hand to her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.
"You had fallen to a puddle, dear. (Would Arwen say "dear"???) Your shirt was wet." The woman said, almost giggling. Ioret almost chocked, completely embarrassed. She was sure that if she could have felt her face, she'd have been redder than a clay pot. Ioret let a shudder run down her spine as she began to feel the sickness setting in. The blond nurse noticed too, and -at a sign from the lady- rose and went to fetch the purple mixture the man had been preparing. With a little help from the pale-skinned nurse, Ioret managed to prop herself up against the headboard of the bed. She was all of a sudden very thankful for the thick, heavy dressing gown she had been changed into as the almost tingling sensation of a new wave of coldness flooded through her.
"Drink this." The nurse said. Her accent was thick and one could tell she was not accustomed to speaking the language. Ioret nodded slightly and brought the edge of the bowl to her lips. At first, it seemed tasteless, and she swished it about her mouth for a moment as if testing it. When she swallowed it felt like she was swallowing bubbles the way the liquid seemed to tickle her throat, and then the after taste came. It was all over her mouth. She could taste it everywhere. An almost unbearably fruity taste saturated her tongue, making a full out assault on her taste buds. She was so busy trying to clean out he taste that she hadn't even noticed that the chill had begun to edge away. Ioret coughed and swallowed in surprise as the nurse poured another gulp of it into her mouth. The pattern continued and Ioret stopped trying to clean out the taste after the third or fourth swallow. The nurse only removed the bowl when all off the mixture had been downed. The nurse stood and left the room, shortly fallowed by the man. Leaving Ioret alone with the brown-haired [I would have said "brunette", but it doesn't sound to Arwenish…] woman. Ioret spoke first.
"Who are you?" she asked simply. The woman smiled and moved across the room settling her self in the window seat, her back against the glass.
"Yes. I believe I do owe you that. I am Arwen, daughter of Elrond." She said coolly, tracing the stone lines in the wall with her finger.
"And who is Elrond?" Ioret asked quizzically. Arwen halted in her tracing and jerked her head up, looking Ioret in the eye. When she saw Ioret's true and earnest gaze, she bowed her head and began to tap the cushion with her finger. To Io it looked as if she was trying to hold something in… Laughter? Ioret bit down on her tongue to avoid an angry outburst. Was she laughing at her!? Arwen raised her head again as if trying to shake off something and spoke again.
"Elrond is the Lord of this house and my father. Now, who are you?" Arwen asked, turning the interview back on Ioret.
"I am Ioret of the Dunlandian Bear Clan, daughter to Hagal." She said casting a timid glance in Arwen's direction. She had been surprised at he assertiveness in her voice and feared she had offended her. Seemingly unaffected, Arwen nodded.
"Dunlandian… I see. And what might you be doing in Rivendell on a night such as last in a man's apparel?" Arwen asked amusedly. At this Ioret dropped her head and clenched her fists around the edge of the blankets. She had been hoping to avoid such a question, but seeing as to that it had come, her only decision now was weather she could trust this Lady Arwen. Would she believe such a runt as herself? Ioret was deep in thought when she felt something at her foot. She looked up to see that Arwen had changed positions again and was now sitting at the edge of the bed, gazing encouragingly at troubled girl. There was a alienated pause before Ioret began to speak. Her voice was soft and squeaky as if afraid of the very words.
"To protect my self…" Ioret stuttered out. There was another silence before, as if suddenly breaking through some sort of terrible barrier, Ioret poured out her story. She sobbed and carried on, telling her quiet audience her accusation, her fear, her worry for Mena, her flight from the village, how she had become lost, and her pained thoughts on her situation. Arwen listened without interjection, a bit surprised at the girl's sudden openness. The young girl cried for a while after wards, but eventually gained control and brought her self to bring up her head and look at Arwen. Arwen was gazing sadly at her, fingering the end of her necklace.
"Well?' Ioret held her breath, almost afraid of her response. How could she have gotten so carried away? Arwen seemed to jerk out of her thoughts.
"Well what?" She repeated, steadying her gaze on Ioret. The girl blinked.
"Well, are you going to tell anyone?" Ioret swallowed hard. Arwen paused, as if debating, and then, slowly, shook her head no. Ioret gasped, taking in quick breaths of relief. She smiled gratefully up at the Lady Arwen, who -in a sort of melancholy way- smiled back.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Ioret cried out, thrusting herself foreword and flinging her arms around her. Arwen stiffened, a little surprised at the girls actions, but gradually began to relax enough to give her a comforting pat on the back.
"It's alright." Arwen said. "We all have our secrets…" she trailed off, her finger clasped tightly around her necklace. When would she see him again?
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A/N- Du-Diddly-Doo!! I'm finished!!! [Party horns go off in the background] Yay!!! Okay. First, I want to thank; Faoiltiarna Laoghaire and WeasleyTwinsLover1112 for their continuous support and Sherri for being my first Reviewer!!! Thank you all. I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though Arwen was totally ooc… Ah well, I hope you can forgive me. Keep Reviewing and I'll see you next time.
Ja
~redtopaz