Chapter Nine
"Who is she?"
"I do not know."
"Should we take her to Lord Elrond?"
"No. Moving her any more would be unwise, for look! The wound has opened again. Besides, Lord Elrond already has a patient of greater importance than this girl. Of what land this patient is from and what business she was on, I know not, but we must do as much as we can ourselves to heal her."
'What in the world is that?' thought Estela. She was slowly coming about, though not yet fully awake. There were two lowered voices, speaking in a strange language that she, for some reason, knew, talking on either side of her.
"And what about Alassé?" asked one of them. "How did she find him and why did he allow her to ride him?"
"Of that I know naught, and it surprised me greatly to see a woman galloping through the gates of Rivendell in such haste as much as it did you," answered the other. "But come now! The time has arrived to wake her. I do not want her thrashing about while I wrap the wound up."
Estela's stomach did a flip-flop and she moved slightly in her desperation to wake fully.
"Halendir...do you suppose that..."
"What?"
"Do you suppose that she is the Warrior? The one who was lost in thin air?"
The voice of Halendir hesitated for a moment before answering, "Do you still believe in those childish stories?"
"Yes. No! I mean...well...something just made me think of it...seeing her, I mean. It reminded me of the stories..."
"She disappeared, Falenwé," sighed Halendir. "That is all. She vanished before the eyes of many Elves and Men, never to return. Though they are just forgotten tales, brother! Do not fret about such foolish things. They are just forgotten tales."
"I do not know who your are or what you're doing in my room, but I'll give you ten seconds to get out!" Estela's commanding scream startled the two voices, one of them crying out in alarm, and the sound of large objects falling on top of each other on the floor.
Estela who was now sitting upright, her eyes opened wide in fear. She saw two men, one lying on top of the other, in a heap on the floor.
"Falenwé, you overweight Elf!" yelled a muffled voice. "Get off! Get OFF!"
One of the men scrambled off the other and quickly stood up. "Well how was I supposed to know she would just wake up screaming? How odd. Do you find that odd?"
"Falenwé, you are so absolutely dimwitted sometimes. The girl is frightened! You would be too if you woke up in a strange place with your leg opened up."
"I do not get frightened."
"I seem to remember that you were the one that knocked us both to the floor in your great haste to escape the screaming woman!"
The two would have continued bickering, completely depriving their guest of any attention if it had not spoken. "Hey," said Estela. "Hey, guys. Hey, guys! Yo! GUYS!"
The men stopped their fighting for a moment and stared at her shocked.
"Thanks. Hey, would you mind explaining to me a few things?"
"Well I---"
"Good. One: Where's my horse? Two: What am I doing here? Three: What happened to the Black Riders. And Four: Who *are* you?"
"I am Halendir," said one. "And this is my brother, Falenwé."
Halendir had dark blue eyes that watched her kindly, and stood at about 6'6". He was wearing a white tunic with a brown belt around his waist, dark green leggings and long brown boots. His hair, a dark brown coulor that was surprisingly long for a male, hung loosely behind him, two small braids keeping it out of his face. But the most shocking thing of all about this stranger was his pointed ears.
His brother, Falenwé, had they same long dark brown hair, grey eyes, pointed ears, and stood at about 6'4". He was wearing a light blue tunic, a silver belt around his waist, white leggings and boots like his brother, though lighter in colour.
"That answers one question," whispered Estela, still trying to get over the ears
"Alassé, the horse that brought you here, is our horse," said Halendir. "Falenwé rode him out one day and the beast suddenly went mad!"
"I have never seen anything like it," said Falenwé, shaking his head. "He wouldn't let me get ride any further and he refused to go back, so I had to get off and leave him there. He must have known something that I did not, though I cannot imagine what."
"For another of your questions, milady, you were brought here by Alassé. He was going at a speed I've never seen him go before, almost trampling over a few people on his way in. He stopped right outside our door with you almost falling off. You were unconscious so we brought you here and laid you in bed. You have been asleep since then. It is now mid noon of the next day."
"And about the Nine Riders," said Halendir, lowering his voice to a whisper, his face grave, "we know naught about." He paused, watching her with great interest. "And you, milady, who are *you*? I see that you use the Common Tongue rather than Sindarin. Why is that, milady?"
"What do you mean?"
"You are an Elf, milady, why aren't you using our tongue?"
"I'm an Elf?"
Halendir nodded. "Yes, milady."
"I'm an Elf."
"Yes..."
"I'm and Elf?!"
"Eh...yes..."
"And I suppose all Elves have pointy ears, long hair, and dress really bizarre, right?"
Falenwé looked down at his clothes and lightly touched his hair and ears, a puzzled and slightly distressed expression on his face.
"I..."
"Amin am n'ma Edhel," Estela muttered to herself, not seeing the smiles that bloomed on the men's faces. "Quessir are elle gwaith tanya work e' Santa's Workshop."
"Pardon me, milady, but Elves do not work in a workshop owned by this 'Santa' that you speak of," said Halendir, frowning.
"Nor do we 'dress bizarre'. If anyone dresses bizarre, milady, it is you," snorted Falenwé. Halendir nudged him in the ribs and the younger Elf quickly quieted.
Estela looked down at her shirt quickly. In place of her torn and tattered red shirt there was a pale yellow long-sleeved silk shirt. She moved a portion of the sheet that was covering her off and saw that her jeans were gone as well, and that the shirt was actually a gown that went down to her ankles. Her undergarments were, much to her relief, still on, making her anger toward the Elves lessen a little.
"Where are my clothes?" she demanded.
"They were dirtied and torn beyond repair," said Halendir. "We are terribly sorry if this offends you, milady, but we had to."
"Yeah, well, you may be able to 'help' elven woman like this, but I'm no Elf, and I demand a little respect!"
"Perhaps," said Halendir shaking his head, "you have hit your head? Or maybe you have amnesia? What is your name?"
"Estela," replied Estela, eyeing him suspiciously.
Falenwé and Halendir stared at her for a moment before smiles spread across each of their faces. "Very good," said Halendir. "Now if you will excuse my brother and I, we will fetch the supplies."
With that, Halendir and his brother left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.
Estela sighed and, sitting up, traced her hand on the white silky sheet. The comforter of the bed, a maroon coloured blanket, lay neatly folded at the foot of the bed. The many pillows behind her head were filled with soft down and the cases were white, maroon, and a beautiful silver colour with the same softness of the sheets.
The bed itself was a cherry colour with a large headboard that had two lines of six trees, a river running in-between them, and stars and the moon carved into it, two bedposts at the foot, and the mattress was filled with down like the pillows.
She looked up and saw that the room was furnished with a light brown bureau sitting in a corner, a large chair with the same cherry coloured wood sitting beside one of the two windows that were in the room, a side table by the bed, and a large full-length mirror.
It was soon that the Elves returned, Halendir carrying a tray laden with numerous odds and ends which he set at the foot of the bed.
"We are going to cleanse the wound then wrap it up," said Halendir.
"Don't I need stitches? I was cut pretty deep."
"The wrap will keep it together long enough for it to heal."
"How long will that be?"
"Three or five days. Maybe seven." He gently pushed the gown above her wound and Falenwé handed him a damped cloth which he used to wipe away the dirt, mud, and other things on, in, and near the cut. Once it was cleaned he took a long brown strip of cloth and wrapped it tightly around the wound then tied it.
"There!" he said, once finished. "We will leave now so you may recover your strength in peace."
Estela leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. The soft click of the door closing told her that they had left and that she could finally get back to sleep. It had seemed like ages since she had last had a soft bed to sleep in and warm covers.
Her thoughts suddenly went to Aragorn and the hobbits. What had happened to them? Could they have been killed?
Estela shook her head, realizing the horrible truth. They were dead. She was the only one who had made it to Rivendell. She cringed, realizing *why* she had been the only one.
'Coward! Fool! You selfish excuse for a living being! How could you? How could you desert them? Dieing would have at *least* been honorable! But instead you ran. You ran. Coward. Traitor.'
With that last thought haunting her mind, she slipped slowly into the place just on the edge of sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~
It was two days later and Estela was out of bed and walking around Rivendell.
Rivendell was more beautiful than any other place or fantasy she had seen or dreamed of. Gardens and brooks, many different trees, all beautiful, birds and animals of many kinds, and Elves.
Elves were wondrous people. Always joyful, and kind, their eyes always bright and intelligent. Their movements were graceful and enchanting, silent and beautiful, making Estela feel ashamed of her own movements which now seemed clumsy and loud.
Some of the Elves were merry and like children more than ancient beings, and some were mighty and commanding, often leaving Estela amazed and speechless to look upon them.
There was so much about the Elves and Rivendell that enthralled and mystified her that she often said there was no way to describe the fair land, you would have to see it for yourself.
Estela was sitting on a marbleized bench eating an apple and discussing a private council to be held the following day by Lord Elrond with a female Elf somewhere in her one thousand five hundreds named Deulain.
"And where, exactly, is this council supposed to be held?" asked Estela, taking a bite out of the juicy fruit in her hand.
"I'm not sure exactly," said Deulain, "but I think it is over there." She pointed toward a spot to the left of them near a large house that Halendir had identified as the Last Homely House and smiled. "Why? Do you wish to go?" Her smile faded when Estela took another bite of her apple, staring thoughtfully at the spot where the council was to be held.
"Yes," said Estela softly. "I haven't been able to talk to Lord Elrond since my time here, and I desperately need to."
"Oh, but you mustn't!" cried Deualain. The Elf happened to be a very big worrywart, often hindering the mischievous pranks that Estela tried pull on unsuspecting Elves. Most of her victims happened to be males. She would take their pants that had been hanging out to dry (always bringing them back a few hours later), putting rocks, needles from trees, and dirt into their boots, and other countless little things. She realized that they weren't exactly *nice* to do, but one, even though it was Rivendell, could get very bored just sitting around and talking.
"Do you know the kind of trouble you could into?" hissed Deulain.
"I have to see Elrond," replied Estela firmly.
Deulain sighed, knowing that she would never be able to talk her friend out of this foolish act. "Fine, but do not say I did not warn you. It is your own head, not mine."
Estela smiled at her friend then sighed, looking wistfully out at Rivendell. "Tomorrow I'll learn how to get home."
I'm so sorry! You can't believe how sorry I am! It has been a crazy week at my home. We had my sisters' birthdays at---GASP! CHUCK E. CHEESES! And guess what? IT WAS ON A SATURDAY! Now tell me, has anyone currently reading this story been to Chuck E. Cheeses on a Saturday? No one? I didn't think so. Because---GASP! YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO GOT TO THE FRIGGIN' PIZZA EATING RODENT'S DEN ON A SATURDAY! Why? Take a wild guess. Take the flying leap to Thinking Land.
Oh, I also got a few new games for my PS2 so--please don't kill me--I've been playing them more than I have been writing... I've kinda, little bit, not-sure-how-to-explain-it been grounded, too. Been cleaning a LOT lately, too, and, um...I got hurt? What? Not good enough excuses for making you wait four extra days, you say? Sorry...
The chapter is very short, boring, lacking plot and...Elrond... BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I said *Rivendell* was in the next chapter! Not Elrond! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH--- What? You're going to kill me? Oops...
Please review if you still like me, Lúthien Arnatuilë.
P.S. I PROMISE that the next chapter will be up on time.
"Who is she?"
"I do not know."
"Should we take her to Lord Elrond?"
"No. Moving her any more would be unwise, for look! The wound has opened again. Besides, Lord Elrond already has a patient of greater importance than this girl. Of what land this patient is from and what business she was on, I know not, but we must do as much as we can ourselves to heal her."
'What in the world is that?' thought Estela. She was slowly coming about, though not yet fully awake. There were two lowered voices, speaking in a strange language that she, for some reason, knew, talking on either side of her.
"And what about Alassé?" asked one of them. "How did she find him and why did he allow her to ride him?"
"Of that I know naught, and it surprised me greatly to see a woman galloping through the gates of Rivendell in such haste as much as it did you," answered the other. "But come now! The time has arrived to wake her. I do not want her thrashing about while I wrap the wound up."
Estela's stomach did a flip-flop and she moved slightly in her desperation to wake fully.
"Halendir...do you suppose that..."
"What?"
"Do you suppose that she is the Warrior? The one who was lost in thin air?"
The voice of Halendir hesitated for a moment before answering, "Do you still believe in those childish stories?"
"Yes. No! I mean...well...something just made me think of it...seeing her, I mean. It reminded me of the stories..."
"She disappeared, Falenwé," sighed Halendir. "That is all. She vanished before the eyes of many Elves and Men, never to return. Though they are just forgotten tales, brother! Do not fret about such foolish things. They are just forgotten tales."
"I do not know who your are or what you're doing in my room, but I'll give you ten seconds to get out!" Estela's commanding scream startled the two voices, one of them crying out in alarm, and the sound of large objects falling on top of each other on the floor.
Estela who was now sitting upright, her eyes opened wide in fear. She saw two men, one lying on top of the other, in a heap on the floor.
"Falenwé, you overweight Elf!" yelled a muffled voice. "Get off! Get OFF!"
One of the men scrambled off the other and quickly stood up. "Well how was I supposed to know she would just wake up screaming? How odd. Do you find that odd?"
"Falenwé, you are so absolutely dimwitted sometimes. The girl is frightened! You would be too if you woke up in a strange place with your leg opened up."
"I do not get frightened."
"I seem to remember that you were the one that knocked us both to the floor in your great haste to escape the screaming woman!"
The two would have continued bickering, completely depriving their guest of any attention if it had not spoken. "Hey," said Estela. "Hey, guys. Hey, guys! Yo! GUYS!"
The men stopped their fighting for a moment and stared at her shocked.
"Thanks. Hey, would you mind explaining to me a few things?"
"Well I---"
"Good. One: Where's my horse? Two: What am I doing here? Three: What happened to the Black Riders. And Four: Who *are* you?"
"I am Halendir," said one. "And this is my brother, Falenwé."
Halendir had dark blue eyes that watched her kindly, and stood at about 6'6". He was wearing a white tunic with a brown belt around his waist, dark green leggings and long brown boots. His hair, a dark brown coulor that was surprisingly long for a male, hung loosely behind him, two small braids keeping it out of his face. But the most shocking thing of all about this stranger was his pointed ears.
His brother, Falenwé, had they same long dark brown hair, grey eyes, pointed ears, and stood at about 6'4". He was wearing a light blue tunic, a silver belt around his waist, white leggings and boots like his brother, though lighter in colour.
"That answers one question," whispered Estela, still trying to get over the ears
"Alassé, the horse that brought you here, is our horse," said Halendir. "Falenwé rode him out one day and the beast suddenly went mad!"
"I have never seen anything like it," said Falenwé, shaking his head. "He wouldn't let me get ride any further and he refused to go back, so I had to get off and leave him there. He must have known something that I did not, though I cannot imagine what."
"For another of your questions, milady, you were brought here by Alassé. He was going at a speed I've never seen him go before, almost trampling over a few people on his way in. He stopped right outside our door with you almost falling off. You were unconscious so we brought you here and laid you in bed. You have been asleep since then. It is now mid noon of the next day."
"And about the Nine Riders," said Halendir, lowering his voice to a whisper, his face grave, "we know naught about." He paused, watching her with great interest. "And you, milady, who are *you*? I see that you use the Common Tongue rather than Sindarin. Why is that, milady?"
"What do you mean?"
"You are an Elf, milady, why aren't you using our tongue?"
"I'm an Elf?"
Halendir nodded. "Yes, milady."
"I'm an Elf."
"Yes..."
"I'm and Elf?!"
"Eh...yes..."
"And I suppose all Elves have pointy ears, long hair, and dress really bizarre, right?"
Falenwé looked down at his clothes and lightly touched his hair and ears, a puzzled and slightly distressed expression on his face.
"I..."
"Amin am n'ma Edhel," Estela muttered to herself, not seeing the smiles that bloomed on the men's faces. "Quessir are elle gwaith tanya work e' Santa's Workshop."
"Pardon me, milady, but Elves do not work in a workshop owned by this 'Santa' that you speak of," said Halendir, frowning.
"Nor do we 'dress bizarre'. If anyone dresses bizarre, milady, it is you," snorted Falenwé. Halendir nudged him in the ribs and the younger Elf quickly quieted.
Estela looked down at her shirt quickly. In place of her torn and tattered red shirt there was a pale yellow long-sleeved silk shirt. She moved a portion of the sheet that was covering her off and saw that her jeans were gone as well, and that the shirt was actually a gown that went down to her ankles. Her undergarments were, much to her relief, still on, making her anger toward the Elves lessen a little.
"Where are my clothes?" she demanded.
"They were dirtied and torn beyond repair," said Halendir. "We are terribly sorry if this offends you, milady, but we had to."
"Yeah, well, you may be able to 'help' elven woman like this, but I'm no Elf, and I demand a little respect!"
"Perhaps," said Halendir shaking his head, "you have hit your head? Or maybe you have amnesia? What is your name?"
"Estela," replied Estela, eyeing him suspiciously.
Falenwé and Halendir stared at her for a moment before smiles spread across each of their faces. "Very good," said Halendir. "Now if you will excuse my brother and I, we will fetch the supplies."
With that, Halendir and his brother left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.
Estela sighed and, sitting up, traced her hand on the white silky sheet. The comforter of the bed, a maroon coloured blanket, lay neatly folded at the foot of the bed. The many pillows behind her head were filled with soft down and the cases were white, maroon, and a beautiful silver colour with the same softness of the sheets.
The bed itself was a cherry colour with a large headboard that had two lines of six trees, a river running in-between them, and stars and the moon carved into it, two bedposts at the foot, and the mattress was filled with down like the pillows.
She looked up and saw that the room was furnished with a light brown bureau sitting in a corner, a large chair with the same cherry coloured wood sitting beside one of the two windows that were in the room, a side table by the bed, and a large full-length mirror.
It was soon that the Elves returned, Halendir carrying a tray laden with numerous odds and ends which he set at the foot of the bed.
"We are going to cleanse the wound then wrap it up," said Halendir.
"Don't I need stitches? I was cut pretty deep."
"The wrap will keep it together long enough for it to heal."
"How long will that be?"
"Three or five days. Maybe seven." He gently pushed the gown above her wound and Falenwé handed him a damped cloth which he used to wipe away the dirt, mud, and other things on, in, and near the cut. Once it was cleaned he took a long brown strip of cloth and wrapped it tightly around the wound then tied it.
"There!" he said, once finished. "We will leave now so you may recover your strength in peace."
Estela leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. The soft click of the door closing told her that they had left and that she could finally get back to sleep. It had seemed like ages since she had last had a soft bed to sleep in and warm covers.
Her thoughts suddenly went to Aragorn and the hobbits. What had happened to them? Could they have been killed?
Estela shook her head, realizing the horrible truth. They were dead. She was the only one who had made it to Rivendell. She cringed, realizing *why* she had been the only one.
'Coward! Fool! You selfish excuse for a living being! How could you? How could you desert them? Dieing would have at *least* been honorable! But instead you ran. You ran. Coward. Traitor.'
With that last thought haunting her mind, she slipped slowly into the place just on the edge of sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~
It was two days later and Estela was out of bed and walking around Rivendell.
Rivendell was more beautiful than any other place or fantasy she had seen or dreamed of. Gardens and brooks, many different trees, all beautiful, birds and animals of many kinds, and Elves.
Elves were wondrous people. Always joyful, and kind, their eyes always bright and intelligent. Their movements were graceful and enchanting, silent and beautiful, making Estela feel ashamed of her own movements which now seemed clumsy and loud.
Some of the Elves were merry and like children more than ancient beings, and some were mighty and commanding, often leaving Estela amazed and speechless to look upon them.
There was so much about the Elves and Rivendell that enthralled and mystified her that she often said there was no way to describe the fair land, you would have to see it for yourself.
Estela was sitting on a marbleized bench eating an apple and discussing a private council to be held the following day by Lord Elrond with a female Elf somewhere in her one thousand five hundreds named Deulain.
"And where, exactly, is this council supposed to be held?" asked Estela, taking a bite out of the juicy fruit in her hand.
"I'm not sure exactly," said Deulain, "but I think it is over there." She pointed toward a spot to the left of them near a large house that Halendir had identified as the Last Homely House and smiled. "Why? Do you wish to go?" Her smile faded when Estela took another bite of her apple, staring thoughtfully at the spot where the council was to be held.
"Yes," said Estela softly. "I haven't been able to talk to Lord Elrond since my time here, and I desperately need to."
"Oh, but you mustn't!" cried Deualain. The Elf happened to be a very big worrywart, often hindering the mischievous pranks that Estela tried pull on unsuspecting Elves. Most of her victims happened to be males. She would take their pants that had been hanging out to dry (always bringing them back a few hours later), putting rocks, needles from trees, and dirt into their boots, and other countless little things. She realized that they weren't exactly *nice* to do, but one, even though it was Rivendell, could get very bored just sitting around and talking.
"Do you know the kind of trouble you could into?" hissed Deulain.
"I have to see Elrond," replied Estela firmly.
Deulain sighed, knowing that she would never be able to talk her friend out of this foolish act. "Fine, but do not say I did not warn you. It is your own head, not mine."
Estela smiled at her friend then sighed, looking wistfully out at Rivendell. "Tomorrow I'll learn how to get home."
I'm so sorry! You can't believe how sorry I am! It has been a crazy week at my home. We had my sisters' birthdays at---GASP! CHUCK E. CHEESES! And guess what? IT WAS ON A SATURDAY! Now tell me, has anyone currently reading this story been to Chuck E. Cheeses on a Saturday? No one? I didn't think so. Because---GASP! YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO GOT TO THE FRIGGIN' PIZZA EATING RODENT'S DEN ON A SATURDAY! Why? Take a wild guess. Take the flying leap to Thinking Land.
Oh, I also got a few new games for my PS2 so--please don't kill me--I've been playing them more than I have been writing... I've kinda, little bit, not-sure-how-to-explain-it been grounded, too. Been cleaning a LOT lately, too, and, um...I got hurt? What? Not good enough excuses for making you wait four extra days, you say? Sorry...
The chapter is very short, boring, lacking plot and...Elrond... BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I said *Rivendell* was in the next chapter! Not Elrond! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH--- What? You're going to kill me? Oops...
Please review if you still like me, Lúthien Arnatuilë.
P.S. I PROMISE that the next chapter will be up on time.